What Hurts the Most
by astronomyluvr
Summary: Daniel asks Sam to marry him. But there is a tragedy that happens. sorry, don't own anything. May contain crappy writing, so no rude reviews, please.
1. The tragedy

What Hurts the Most

Brigadier General Jack O'Neill was startled as klaxons started to blare through the entire underground base at Cheyenne Mountain. He almost swore out loud, but stopped himself when he looked at his watch. He realized that the premiere team of Stargate Command, SG-1 was due to arrive at this time. Getting out of his chair, Jack left his office and the briefing room, down the flight of stairs into the control room.

The sight of the Stargate from the control room window never ceased to amaze him the least. With the last of the seven lights that represented the points of origin, the quartz-made device activated. A water-like substance splashed forward and retreated, like a drop of water on a still surface. A metal shield swirled around, covering the open portal of the active device.

" Receiving IDC. It's SG-1, Sir," An airman informed Jack, who mentally chided himself for not remembering the man's name. It suddenly popped into his mind as the airman spoke again. " Incoming communication. Radio only."

" Patch it through, Wells," Jack ordered the airman. " SG Command to SG-1. Go ahead, SG-1." He imagined that it was Major Samantha Carter calling in with something about Daniel finding something of interest on the planet, mainly ruins or something of the sort, or even a population.

" Sir, we're under heavy fire. Advising that we are coming in hot with Ry'ac," A woman's voice shouted over the weapons' fire on the patched in radio communication.

" Carter, you have a go. Wells, open the iris," Jack said, silently watching as the metal iris opened and four people stepped through the watery substance, or as Carter's mumbo-jumbo called it, the event horizon of a wormhole, dilating time as people traveled to other planets that were many light years away from dear old planet Earth. " Debrief in half an hour, people."

Daniel Jackson brushed a hand nervously through his brown hair as he walked through the corridors, the other hand clasped nervously around a velvet box in the jacket pocket. Blue eyes shifting restlessly as he watched out for her, he idly wondered what Sam was doing. He didn't want to interrupt her while when was in the middle of her work, whatever she probably would be working on at the moment.

He was in luck. Sam was alone, sipping coffee from a mug as she stared at her computer screen, which was dark.

" Hey Sam," Daniel said, entering the room. He startled her with his voice he realized when he saw her jump slightly at the sound of it.

" Daniel. Please don't do that. I was trying to figure out how to get Prometheus' hyper space engine working at a higher capability than it is now," She told the linguist as she put the cup of coffee back down on the desk in front of her.

" Sorry. I wanted to ask you something important and it couldn't wait," Daniel said, closing the door to Sam's lab behind him. He quickly went to her side and knelt in front of her, gazing up into her beautiful face with her grey eyes and short blond hair. " Sam, will you marry me?"

Sam couldn't believe what she had just heard. Did Daniel actually ask her to marry him? Wide-eyed in disbelief, Sam's mouth worked silently. Finally snapping out of her trance, she looked down at the still kneeling Daniel.

" I…. Sure, I mean yes. Yes, I will marry you!" She cried out, hugging tightly him for a moment before letting him put the diamond ring on her finger. They kissed deeply, never hearing the door open as both Jack and Teal'c, the alien member of SG-1, walked in on the spectacle.

" We didn't just see that, did we?" Jack asked Teal'c, who merely raised an eyebrow in silent response. " Just what I thought. Are we interrupting something here, kids? 'Cause if we are…"

" Oh, sorry Sir. We never heard you come in," Sam tried to explain as she broke the kiss she had pleasantly shared with Daniel a moment ago. " I, um, can explain though Sir."

" Please do, Carter. I don't want to think about what might have happened back there on P9X 768," Jack said in his usual air-head manner, hiding his intelligence as he did so.

" Daniel asked me to marry him, Sir," Carter said, holding up her left hand and wiggling her ring finger with the engagement ring encircling it.

" I think that congratulations are in order then. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere or double report duty for you," Jack said and left the lab to order champagne and four glasses from the mess hall, if they actually had any in the pantry, or wherever they kept that stuff.

" And here it was, I thought that he would be mad once he found out," Daniel whispered to Sam after Jack had left the room, placing an arm around her waist. Sam giggled at this and gave Daniel a quick peck.

Finding a priest wasn't hard. Nor was finding all essential people that were needed to fill in the roles for Sam and Daniel's wedding. Jack had offered to be best man and General Hammond had been chosen to give away Sam. Random people on the base had been hand picked to fill in the remaining positions while the rest would be part of the audience. There was one thing that was really making Daniel mad, though.

" I thought that choosing a place was simple," He sighed bitterly. In frustration he picked up a discarded pencil and threw it across the room. It hit the wall, the pencil fracturing, but it didn't break.

" Danny boy, please tell me that you aren't trying to take out your anger on some one," Jack said from the archaeologist's open door way, using a hated nickname.

Once again, klaxons began to blare through out the entire base and a disembodied voice informing the personnel that there was unscheduled off-world activation. Groaning in frustration himself, Jack hurried over to the control room with Daniel following him.

" Who is it?" Jack asked once he arrived at the control room.

" The Tok'ra, Sir," The marine on-duty replied.

Meeting with the alien in the briefing room, Jack and Daniel revealed what was new on the base and with their missions.

" Sam's getting married? To Daniel?" Jacob Carter, Sam's father, who had been dying of cancer and blended with the oldest known symbiote of the Tok'ra, Selmak, asked, amazed. Even though the Tok'ra were rebels of the Goa'uld, they were a dying race, being killed or mistaken as the Goa'uld on certain planets. " I'm glad to hear that, but I came here on official business this time, I'm afraid."

" What's the Council got you assigned to this time, Jacob?" Daniel asked his soon-to-be-wife's father.

" I've been assigned to infiltrate Ba'al's forces. We've received word that he's assembling armies as we speak," Jacob informed them. " We need to know if you have some available personnel to help us in gathering information, maybe even sabotage their weapons systems."

" I think that SG-14 is free, and take Teal'c. The priest has been given clearance, but not high enough. Teal'c might be a little disappointed not to be at the wedding, but we'll record it for all of you," Jack told the Tok'ra.

" I finally got it!" Daniel suddenly cried out. " Why not use the Gate room to hold the wedding?"

" It could work. I'd have to call the President to clear the priest, but it could work," Jack said and picked up the red phone on his desk.

Jacob left to find SG-14 and Teal'c while Jack was speaking on the phone with the President. Not all that long after Jacob had left with his help through the Stargate, Jack was off the phone and telling Daniel the news.

" The President's giving you kids the all clear to hold the wedding in the Gate room. The priest's cleared to conduct the ceremony here," Jack told the linguist, watching in amusement as Daniel ran out of the briefing room to find Sam and tell her the news.

The wedding day came by fast. Daniel had everything prepared and was waiting for Sam at the base of the Gate ramp with Reverend Colby and Jack.

All too soon, Sam walked in with General George S. Hammond. The music had begun a while ago. Sam's grey eyes sparkled with happiness as she walked in time to the music. He was handsome in a suit, and yet she never realized it, remembering the time she had moved up in ranks to Major.

Daniel watched as Sam made her way to him. She was beautiful in a wedding dress. He couldn't see her face because of the veil, but he was sure that she was smiling behind it. Once she reached his side, they faced the priest, saying " I do" one by one as they were told the vows.

" I proclaim you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride," Came the priest's long awaited words. Grinning, Daniel lifted the veil and kissed Samantha Jackson, his wife.

Some where in the shaft above the Stargate, a pair of eyes glittered maliciously as their owner tightened his finger around the trigger of the silenced sniper rifle.

Daniel jerked as incredible pain exploded across his chest. He crumpled to the ground, vaguely aware of Sam calling out to him, or her arms around him as she begged for him to hold on. He took his last breath in her arms as she held him in shock, her white wedding dress turning pinkish red from the blood.

Marines burst into the Gate room, weapons aimed at the shaft. They fired almost as one, the corpse of the assassin tumbling down lifelessly in a boneless heap.

He couldn't be dead, Sam thought as she left the base weeks later after Daniel's death. Suddenly, the silence was unbearable and she turned on the radio to any station that came in. She caught a part of a song as she drove away from Cheyenne Mountain.

" What hurts the most is being so close. And having so much to say, and watching you walk away. And never knowing what could have been. And not seeing that loving you, is what I was trying to do," The song sang before she turned it off and pounded the steering wheel in anger and sadness.

Stopping her car at the edge of the road, Sam took the keys out of the ignition and slammed the door before she ran up the mountain to Daniel's memorial, tears streaking her face.

" Daniel Jackson. The man who unlocked the gate to the Heavens and helped to save the world a lot. We will miss you greatly Daniel. Semper Fi," The memorial said.

" I love you Daniel. I love you," Sam whispered as she knelt by the stone, the animals scuttling around her as she wept bitterly for the man she loved, a hand absently running over the writing on the metal plaque.

The rumble of not so distant thunder brought her out of her reverie. The rain fell in buckets within a few seconds, but there wasn't any that landed on her. Looking up, she noticed Jack standing over her with an umbrella in his hand held over both of them.

" Sir. Didn't know that you were there," Sam said as she wiped away the tears that fell down her face.

" That's all right. The guards saw you stop your car on the side of the road and start running. I figured that you'd be up here. Come on Carter, don't need you catching a cold, and Teal'c says that you won't get any of the chocolate cake that the cooks made," Jack said, gently chiding her, knowing that she had a weakness for chocolate cake.

" That sounds good, Sir," Sam said as she got up from the ground and brushed the dirt off of herself and her uniform, then made her way back to her car and the base with Jack.

Deep in the dark forest, a figure swathed in sandy brown robes watched the proceedings with some interest. It turned around, changing its form to a ball of energy as it did so and floating away, the whispered words that it said hanging in the air behind it.

" I love you too, Sam," Daniel said as he ascended with the ancients once again.


	2. Returning

What Hurts the Most

Ch2 Descending

Major Samantha Carter sighed as she trudged through the mud. This planet was so dreary; no wonder it was hardly inhabited, except for the Ori's minions; the bad guys. She couldn't believe it. The Ori were part of the ancients, abusing their power to make themselves appear as gods to unsuspecting people of different cultures. She knew that Daniel would have known more of their culture from his studies at the SGC, but since his death, she had never felt so alone.

Jack had assigned a man from the battle at Antarctica as their new C.O. She didn't mind at all. Colonel Cameron Mitchell was as good as they said he was, and a fast study at that. Though she was still in a slight depression because of Daniel, but the knew General back at base, General Landry, had allowed her to go back to work, heading off-planet to study and save the world.

Up ahead, Teal'c watched as many of the Ori believers walked by his position, never noticing the former jaffa of Apophis. He would not fire on them, preferring to finish the mission than to engage in a full battle. He kept a close eye on Sam, knowing that she still felt bad about losing Daniel. He had learned the news when he had stepped through the Stargate after the mission with the Tok'ra had been completed and had witnessed the body of Daniel Jackson being loaded on a stretcher. The linguist had been too still and too pale, hinting the jaffa at what had happened. When he had watched the tape that O'Neill had been so kind to record, he understood fully what had happened. He sympathized with Sam, never having to say good-bye to his wife before she passed on.

Colonel Mitchell snuck up behind a guard and punched the butt of his P-90 on the base of the guard's skull, knocking him unconscious. Dragging the still body into the shadows, he draped the body on the wall, positioning him as if he was sleeping on active duty. He jumped when he saw a man in brown robes appear before him, a sword held solidly in one hand. Aiming his gun up, he realized that the sword was aimed at his neck.

" You're here to free Vala, are you not?" The stranger asked, lowering the sword a bit.

" Yeah, and this is what to you?" Mitchell asked.

" I know where she is. Follow me," the stranger replied, leading Mitchell into a building that looked suspiciously like a jail house.

Vala looked up from her place in her cell. The guard was busy checking her out instead of doing his duty. Behind him, she saw the figure of Colonel Mitchell and Mr. Glowy. Who ever the stranger was, she had felt comforted by his presence after her torture sessions. He calmed her down, let her sleep, like he was a personal guardian angel.

" Hey, boys," she said, smiling. Confused, the guard turned around, only to be punched in the face. " Finally, thought that I would never get out of here."

Muttering something about the woman never being able to stay out of trouble, Mitchell yanked the keys off of the guards' belt and unlocked the cell door, letting Vala out of confinement.

Back at the Stargate, Sam's eye caught a figure moving through the trees. Aiming her P-90 at it, she fingered her radio, sending a communication. " I have incoming on my three. I advise caution," she whispered, keeping low to the ground.

A prior listened in on the woman's warning through the radio. He knew that it would be too late for her friends to get there. His work would be done, a plague spreading across the world of non-believers of Origin. " Hallowed are the Ori," he said, startling the woman, and clubbed her with his staff before she even was close to transmitting on her radio.

At the jail house, Mitchell, Vala and the stranger had made it across to the forest where Teal's hid without being detected by any sentries. Cocking his head at the man in brown robes, the jaffa shrugged off a familiar feeling as he turned to head back to the Stargate. Arriving, they didn't see Sam, but the prior, who stood defiantly in front of the Stargate.

" Um, excuse me, but you are blocking our way home. Oh, you haven't seen a woman with short blond hair around here, have you?" Mitchell asked, becoming the usual humor part of his self he was when faced with danger, wondering how in hell he hadn't gotten any further communication from Carter after her warning.

" Hallowed are the Ori," was all that the prior said.

" You have seen her. You hide her from us. Where is she?" the stranger asked, his sword held steady at neck level.

" You are not welcome here, unbeliever," the prior said, staff aimed at the stranger, Sam floating up from where she had lain unconscious.

Using his own power, the stranger pushed the prior away from the gate and activated it. " Go through and don't look back," he shouted, charging the prior, pausing for a fraction of a second to check on Sam. Satisfied that she was all right, he continued on, hoping to kill the prior before he attacked.

Vala watched as the stranger attacked the prior. Something told her now that he was an ancient, an ascended being. Rushing to Sam's side, she helped the astrophysist get to her feet and hobble to the Gate, sending her GIC before anything else.

Mitchell ushered Teal'c through, waiting as the stranger pushed the prior away and ran as fast as he could to the Gate. " Go," he cried breathlessly, reaching the stairs of the Stargate. As he reached the event horizon, he felt the prior slam into his back, driving them both through, only to land on a metal ramp, where they fought with renewed vigor and burning anger.

General Landry stood and the control room window, staring in fascination as a prior and an unknown man in brown robes battled. He blinked when the stranger killed the prior in cold blood.

" Where did they take her?" the stranger demanded.

" To the infirmary," some one answered the question, backing away from the strange man with the sword still dripping the prior's blood.

As the stranger made his way through the corridors and up to the infirmary, personnel avoided him when they glimpsed the blood-streaked sword. He had to see if Sam was all right. For all he knew, she carried the plague the he had heard about in circles of those he knew.

Entering the infirmary, he sheathed his sword and immediately went over to Sam's side and laid his hands on her, checking to see if she had any trace of the plague. She did have it. Concentrating even harder, he searched out each particle in her body and destroyed them. Once he had finished, he looked up, exhausted from the feat.

Sam had been startled when she saw the man place his hands on her and close his eyes. Once he had opened them, she knew who he was, though she had thought that he was dead.

" Daniel?"

The man named Daniel looked up sharply, blue eyes regarding her face, trying to place it. " Sam?" he asked, unable to hide a smile that came to his face.

" How? I mean, you were dead. There's a stone monument on the mountain with your name on it. You died in front of me. You didn't ascend then," Sam said, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.

Teal'c and Mitchell watched from the doorway. Glancing at the jaffa, Mitchell decided to press ahead with a question that had been bothering him.

" So, what she is saying is that that man is actually Daniel Jackson, the man who opened the Stargate, ascended after being poisoned by radiation, returned with no memory, married Sam and died in her arms because of some ass who killed him on his wedding day?" Mitchell asked, hiding his surprise when Teal'c nodded his answer. " Wow."

" Indeed," Teal'c answered Mitchell. He, too, was surprised when Sam had uttered the name of the man she loved. Watching in fascination, the jaffa kept a close eye on them as the stranger threw off the hood of his robes, revealing it was indeed Daniel Jackson.

" I can touch you," Sam whispered, running a hand along his jaw. " I've got to tell Jack. He'll want to know that you're ascended. After all of these years and hearing him blame himself that he somehow let you down, he'd be glad to know that you are all right."

" Go ahead, Sam. Call him. I'm not going any where. Just don't tell him why, only to come here," Daniel said, waiting patiently as Sam made her phone call. Once she was done, he grabbed her hand and stared into her eyes. She was even more beautiful than when he had last seen her, and that was after the monument had been built. He remembered that day clearly. Jack had come along to console her, bribing her with chocolate cake, telling her that Teal'c would eat it all. He had been relieved when Sam had taken up on the offer.

" He'll be here within the next two hours," Sam informed him, leading him away from the infirmary. Together, they made their way to General Landry' office, nodding a hello to anyone who called out to them, or ignoring anyone who gawked at the archeologist who had returned from the dead. The man was writing up a report that would go straight to the President and inform him of what the latest news at the base was.

" Ah, Carter, come in. Now how about telling me who this man is, doctor?" Landry asked, leaning forward to listen more carefully.

" Sir, this is Daniel Jackson, my husband," and with that opening sentence, Samantha Carter launched into the tale that told of how everything had been before Daniel had died, and a bit past then.

" Well, that is good to know. For a moment when he came through the Gate with the prior, I thought that we may have needed a hell of a lot more people guarding the gate room," Landry said. " Son, you haven't said anything since Carter told the story. I would like to know what you are thinking about."

" I can tell you when Jack gets here. Otherwise, I don't think that you need to know anything right now," Daniel said, getting up to stand at the large window that overlooked the entire Gate room. " It has been so long since I stood here. The last time was when Jack and I were speaking with Jacob and told him the news about Sam and I getting married. Of course he had a mission to do and had stopped by to see if we had any personnel to help the Tok'ra. By the way, how is your father?"

" He died a couple of weeks ago. Selmak had begun to shut down. Dad understood that, and decided to die with the symbiote. He always understood, and I knew that he wanted to die with Selmak," Sam said in a low voice, head hanging low.

" I think that I have seen them. I thought that I saw someone I recognized a week or so ago, but I couldn't be sure. Now I know. When I see him next, I'll tell him that you miss him, and that he should visit," Daniel told his wife softly. " I never told you this, but the ancients have agreed to help you all fight the Ori. They realize that their uncontrolled behavior has been going on too long. They will stop them."

" All right, now why was I called here? Carter, you had better have an explanation!" General Jack O'Neill shouted as he entered the office. " Who is this?" Jack asked, pointing to a man who sat in a chair, clad in brown robes.

" Don't tell me that you can't remember and old friend, Jack, after all that happened, starting at Abydos," a strangely familiar voice said, sending shivers up and down his spine.

Staring, Jack realized that the stranger was actually Daniel Jackson. " How?" was the only word he could say, wondering why this had happened again.

_As I forgot to mention in the first chapter, I own nothing of Stargate SG-1. I wish I did, but hey, keep on dreaming girl. Please review. I will have other stories up in various categories, such as misc and tv shows, but they are still in progress._


	3. The story

What Hurts the Most

Chapter 3: The Story

" I ascended Jack," Daniel told his friend.

" The hell you did. You died in front of every one. I had to make the priest say a prayer for you before he left," Jack said, ranting on with his anger. " Even Teal'c saw you when he came through the Stargate. The mission had gone so very well. Damn, if we had just been able to hold the ceremony later, or some where else than the Gate room, you might still be alive and leading a great life with Sam."

" No Jack. I did ascend, but when you sent Sam, Teal'c and that other guy to that prior infested planet today, I was doing recon work for the ancients. They have decided to help you all fight them," Daniel informed Jack, and the others about the recon.

" Are swords part of the kit for the ancients these days?" Vala asked as she entered the briefing room.

" No, they just work better to kill them. They can protect themselves from bullets, but swords that were made from the ancients are a different matter," Daniel answered the question. " It is good to see that you are all right, despite all the things that they did to you."

" That was nothing. I am a tough girl, after all," Vala retorted, hands on her hips in a defensive gesture towards the ascended archeologist.

Ignoring the female alien member of the team, Daniel turned back to the window, staring into oblivion. " I know that this is hard for you all right now, but this has been seen by the ancients. They knew one of these days that the Ori would become too power hungry and try to convert as much as the galaxy as possible to Origin. I was sent to that world to meet up with you," he said, head bowed in frustration. " What I don't know is how they want us to help you. They haven't told us anything yet, except to wait on their word. It's what I've been doing; what we all have been doing."

" That doesn't answer the question, Daniel. Why are they helping us now, instead of watching and not participating like they used to in the past?" Sam asked him.

" I think that it is because they have realized that the human race has evolved far and can destroy many powerful civilizations, especially those that threaten the rest of the galaxy, or the universe for that matter," Daniel replied. He turned away from the window, blue eyes darkening in clear despair. " What I don't understand is that they refused to help out in the past, so why start now, barring the Ori threat, of course,"

" Always one to question, young one," an unknown female voice spoke. " A river may be mighty, but it may not be rough."

" Oma. Please stop speaking in riddles and for once talk so no one has to do too much guessing to figure out what you are saying," Daniel said, burying his face in his hand before straightening his posture.

" Why should a human ignore another?" came the older ascended's reply.

" That's a no," Jack said, exasperated. " Listen, lady. We need answers, and we need them now. Why are you helping now, instead of ignoring us little guys?"

" What we have become has been influenced by others. Who should say that we will not help you out in times of need?" Oma answered.

" Never mind. On to happier things. How in hell do we kill these priors?" Jack said, clapping his hands.

" Now I know why I never visited you very much while I was ascended the first time," Daniel whispered to himself before answering the question. " Like I said before. Swords will kill them."

" But we don't have swords, nor do we know how to use them," Vala told him.

" You can all be taught and be given the weapons as you train," Oma told them all, changing into a ball of light as soon as she finished speaking.

" Where is she going?" Jack asked.

" To get you those swords, Jack," Daniel replied before leaving the briefing room and left the base, Sam following him. Together, they made their way to the monument in silence. Daniel remembered the day when he had stood in the shadows and watched as Jack brought Sam back to the base for that chocolate cake. After he had left, he came back a couple of days later and read the epitaph on the stone, smiling when he saw the 'Semper fi' written on it. Always faithful. True, he had always been faithful in this line of work, but never saw him in need of a monument dedicated to himself.

" Damn it Daniel. Why did you have to die? Or ascend? It hurts," Sam said, tears rolling down her cheeks.

" I really don't know. What I do wish is that I was here with you all those years, maybe have a couple of children, nice house, a dog," Daniel told her. " I wish that this didn't happen, but it did have its upside. I found out who wanted me dead."

" Who was it, Daniel?" Sam asked.

" I have a better idea. Why don't we go visit him? Give him a surprise," Daniel said, a gleam in his eye. Taking Sam's hand in his own, Daniel closed his eyes and concentrated hard. Within seconds, they were transported to vice-president Kinsey's office. " Hello, Kinsey."

Sam could only star in surprise. Vice-president Kinsey had wanted Daniel dead all those years? Impossible. Sure, the idiot wanted complete control of Stargate Command, but he had been denied the chance years ago.

" How? You're dead," Kinsey sputtered.

" You don't read our mission files, do you? If you did, you would have learned that had ascended years before. I did it again," Daniel spoke with a hard voice. " You wanted me dead. Tell me why. Tell us all why."

Wondering why Daniel had said 'us', the vice president looked around and found himself in the President's office, surrounded by the secret service agents and the most important personnel of the SGC, including SG-1 and General Jack O'Neil.

" No, I won't tell you anything," the vice-president told them. Silently, Daniel glided over to the seated man and laid a hand on his shoulder.

Images flashed through Daniel's mind. He watched as Kinsey called up a man to kill him, the man who killed him on his wedding day. Digging even deeper, he searched for the reason behind it all. " Found you," he whispered. Eyes opening, he regarded the vice-president angrily. " You wanted me dead to discredit all that I had done for this planet, to take credit. You don't deserve anything."

" Danny-boy, please don't do anything rash. I don't think that if you get mad that the President would like you all that much if you took your revenge right here and now. On such nice carpet, too," Jack reasoned.

" You're right, Jack. Here, deal with him properly, and don't let him out of your sight," Daniel ordered, shoving the vice-president to the secret service guards, who stood dumb-founded. They caught the stumbling vice-president, unsure of what to do, but one look from the ascended archeologist sent them scurrying to deal with Kinsey.

" This is Daniel Jackson? I thought that he was dead," the President asked, confused at the act that surrounded his vice-president.

" Technically, he is dead, Sir, but he actually ascended to a higher plane of existence back then," Sam offered. " It's all in our mission reports, starting back before when Jonas Quinn was a member of SG-1."

" How interesting. Now, is there another reason to why you all popped into my office, unannounced, I might add," the President wanted to know.

" That would be my fault, Sir. I knew that it was vice-president Kinsey who had me killed, but I needed an audience to listen and vouch for all that was said. I'm sorry if I interrupted something of importance, Sir," Daniel said, apologizing for his actions.

" If you do that every time I start doing all this paperwork, I just might start appreciating these little interruptions," the President said, smiling, standing up and offering his hand to the archeologist. " I'm Henry Hayes."

" I don't need to introduce myself," Daniel said, taking the offered hand. " But it is good to meet you."

" I do hope that this wasn't just to tell me of Kinsey's involvement with your death, Daniel, but I would like to know how the missions are going. I would read the reports, but I am so busy doing the paperwork for the Senator elections that I have absolutely no time to read them," the President said, gesturing to the seats in his office.

" Well, we do have a problem with the Ori, Sir. They are becoming more bold than usual, and have threatened Earth and its allies for a while now," Sam explained as she sat down.

" They were planning to use a plague to bring us to our knees and once that had happened, they would have come and seen if we would follow Origin. They had intended to use Sam as the carrier, but I had been sent to scout that planet on the same day. I helped the colonel here rescue Vala, and fought off the prior on that planet and here on Earth," Daniel explained his part of the problem. " No plague had escaped, and there is none located in Sam's body. The ancients have decided to help you all on your fight with the Ori, and hope to stop them before things get any worse and they send ships to earth to destroy us all."

" Ships?"

" Okay, man, I do have a name you know. It's Colonel Cameron Mitchell,"

" How do we know if they aren't sending ships right at this very moment?"

" Okay, yes they have ships. You don't want to be near them when they exit that super gate that they'll build in order to get from their galaxy to ours. They are power by the priors, who channel some of the Ori energy into the drives of the ship, powering them to full capacity. No, they aren't sending ships right now because they are still being built on one of the planets that the Ori control. I haven't even found a way to destroy them yet," Daniel informed them all. " From what I have seen though, they are more powerful than the Asgard, the system lords and all of our ships here on Earth put together. But I think that if we have an ancient on each and every ship, we might stand a chance."

" Okay, so what you are saying is that we get all of our advanced allies, and some enemies, to come and help us out, and then get an ancient or two on each ship in order to defeat these guys," Jack said, rubbing his temple from the stress of it all.

" Simply put, yes, that is what I'm saying. And if it comes down to hand-to-hand combat, at least you'll know how to use a sword," Daniel answered as Oma appeared from thin air. " Come on, guys. It's time you all learn how to use a sword properly."

They were transported to the top of Cheyenne Mountain, where they were given the swords and taught the basic swings. Once that had been mastered by all, they began to learn the finer tips on how to fight an opponent as powerful as Teal'c, or the priors of the Ori. Only Jack and Mitchell complained about how they were being taught.

" Come on, Daniel. Why do we have to fight in the middle of the day?" Jack whined.

" Yeah. It's hot and sweaty, and I get this all," Mitchell said.

" So does that mean that you can unarm an opponent?" Daniel asked, an eyebrow raised. It was a trick that he had learned from Teal'c, using it only since his second ascension.

" Sure can," Mitchell boasted.

" Try me," Daniel encouraged.

They fought, weaving in and out of each other's strikes. With precision movements, Daniel wove in on Mitchell's unguarded right side and disarmed him, sending the sword, spiraling to the ground a few feet away. He placed his own sword at the base of the Colonel's neck, waiting for Mitchell to give up, which he did once he realized that he no longer held a weapon.

" How did you do that?" he asked, running short on breath, eyes on the gleaming weapon trained on his throat.

" Get back in line with your sword and I'll show you," Daniel said, lowering the point away from the exposed neck.

That day, the members of SG-1 learned to become extremely adequate in the process of sword fighting. They were almost ready to face the Ori when the time came.

They didn't have enough time left before the final battle as the technicians in the Gate room contacted all of Earth's allies to rally help in the fight of the Milky Way galaxy.

_Hello. People who read this story are obligated to review. I'm feeling a little down without the support. Hey, the next chapter will be longer and it will be about the battle between Earth and its allies and the Ori. Who will win? I might just be mean and have the Ori win if I don't get any more reviews!_

_Come on; encourage me a little, please? Oh, and thank you Rascal Flatts for providing the song so I could write this story. (Actually, I have the C.D. I don't know them personally)_

_Disclaimer, I own NOTHING. Shoot._


	4. War

What Hurts the Most

Chapter 4: War

Daniel Jackson wandered around the helicopter pad on the top of base, waiting, watching for the ascended being that they had asked for to come to guide the rest when they came so they could begin the journey to the newly located super gate. They were waiting for the word that the Asgard and the Nox were on the planet. Both races had agreed to fight the Ori, but they hadn't received a response from Ba'al yet. Daniel planned on visiting the system lord very soon if the ancients hadn't come.

Sam waited beside Daniel, lost in her own thoughts. She wanted this to be over with as soon as possible with the most damage on the enemy lines and very few on theirs. What had her worried was the fact that they had sent Teal'c to speak with Ba'al yesterday, but he hadn't yet returned with an answer. It was hard, not knowing if Teal's was alright. She hoped that her partner was all right.

" He'll be all right, Sam. Trust me. I'll go see them myself very soon, that is if he appears," Daniel quietly whispered to her before he turned around and shouted out angrily. " Damn you, Jon. If you can't keep a promise to be here on time, forget about coming!"

" No need to scream, Daniel," a male voice said out of thin air. Turning around, both Daniel and Sam watched as a ball of light changed into a human form with light hair and clear eyes filled with wisdom.

" Jon, get here earlier next time. I have a schedule to keep, and it's extremely uptight. Sam, tell Jack and Hank that I've gone to visit Ba'al and see what's keeping Teal'c," Daniel said, smiling softly at her before he disappeared.

" Let's go," Sam said and she led the ancient down inside Cheyenne Mountain, keeping a wary eye on their guest.

Daniel materialized on Ba'al's ship. The jaffa on guard duty in the control room aimed their staff weapons at him but they didn't fire, despite being primed and ready for combat. Shaking his head, Daniel walked down the corridor until he encountered Ba'al and his first prime.

" You hide from a threat greater than yourself," Daniel said as he stepped into their line of sight from the shadows of the corridors. " Are you a coward?" he asked as he approached.

" Who are you?" Ba'al asked when his first prime activated his staff weapon and it failed to fire. He did his best to hide his surprise when he heard and saw the stranger who had spoken.

" One who will have your alliance to fight with us against the Ori. I am ascended," Daniel answered. " We need your help, or else we would not come to you for it."

" So what the sho'va says is true. These beings called the Ori are that powerful and threaten your world?" Ba'al asked, an eyebrow raised.

" Not only mine, but yours as well. All of those that you control now. Would you want to see all of your followers follow Origin, or continue to follow your rule?" Daniel said, reasoning with the Goa'uld.

The silence of the alien gave him his answer that he had come here to receive. Cocking his head, Daniel stayed silent as Ba'al ordered his first prime to leave him alone with the stranger.

" When do you need me to help you?" the system lord asked.

" We need you at Earth as of yesterday," Daniel answered, crossing his arms as he continued to speak. " Now, on to another fact that I would like to have an answer to. Where is Teal'c?"

" Come with me and I shall show you," came the answer that Daniel never liked in the first place.

Walking with the ascended being made Ba'al extremely nervous. How would he know if this creature had made up this story or if he found him out?

Meanwhile, Daniel had similar thoughts running through his brain. Why had Ba'al given in so easily? Was he trying to hide something? Or was he trying to cover some one else's story? Either way, he would soon find out.

Teal'c sat in the middle of a prison room when Ba'al and Daniel walked up. Silently, he watched as the archeologist seethed in rage, but instead, the linguist walked straight through the bars as if they were never there in the first place, hoping to help his friend. He only wished that he had the strength to warn him of the trap that had been laid for him.

" Are you all right, Teal'c?" he asked, wary as his instincts suddenly went into overdrive.

" Run, Daniel Jackson. This is a trap to lead you here and into the hands of the Ori," the jaffa whispered weakly, knowing that it was now too late for the archeologist to escape this trap.

" You tricked me," Daniel hissed angrily as he turned back to the door and a smug-looking Ba'al.

" Of course. What did you expect? I will be heading to the battle, but I will hand you over to the Ori so they shall leave my worlds alone," Ba'al said, taking out a tranquilizer dart as he spoke. " I have been given a serum from the Ori that is very effective on the ascended or the ancients. I will not tell you what its effects are; you shall find out on your own."

Strands made up of some type of metal reached for the ascended archeologist, holding him in the place where he stood. He tried to struggle out of their grip, even Teal'c, as weakened as he was, got up from his place on the ground to try and pry him free from the metal, but it was no use. More of the stuff drew the jaffa back and held him solidly against the wall.

" Hold still, my friend, and it should not hurt," Ba'al said, smiling, and released the dart, watching in satisfaction as it struck the archeologist in the right shoulder. The side effect was almost immediate. Daniel cried out in pain and wriggled against his bonds in futile desperation, trying to get away from the spreading burning sensation before he fell into merciless unconsciousness. The metal strands that held Teal'c to his place fell away and onto the wall, becoming almost invisible, but the ones keeping Daniel where he stood stayed, holding the archeologist up right.

Teal'c could not believe it. Daniel Jackson was now unconscious, the excruciating pain he was still feeling evident on his face. He now knew that defeat was a battle away for the Tau'ri. One of their chances at beating the Ori was now officially gone from their small list. Turning away for a moment, he noticed that Ba'al had left. For once, his usually stoic face fell. He was truly worried. Even now, he could hear Daniel's breathing become more labored as he struggled to take a breath.

Sam watched as Jon walked through the entire bottom level, getting a feel for the place that would soon house his warriors when they came and where the rest of the humans stayed until it was time for them to be beamed up to their waiting ships. She wanted to see Daniel. Something told her that he needed help, and she was powerless to do anything.

" You know that Daniel is in trouble, don't you?" Jon asked as he appeared beside her

" Yes. And I can't do anything. I never felt anything when he died, but now, it's so strong. I should be there with him," Sam said, head hanging low.

" Don't worry, we'll get him back," Jon said, trying to comfort her, thought he didn't know why, before heading back to his investigation of the bottom level of the base inside Cheyenne Mountain.

As soon as Jon had completed his investigation of the level, the rest of the ascended ancients appeared, each armed with a sword and they wore brown robes, as did Daniel when he was on the prior's planet.

" We haven't received word from Daniel or Teal'c, so we're presuming that either something has happened to them, or they got the answer that none of us wanted," Sam told General Landry and General O'Neill.

" It's too late to get any other help. We have to leave now," Mitchell said as he walked up. " _Prometheus_ is ready to receive her cargo; she's beaming them up right now, Sir. Our battalion of 302's are strapped down in her cargo hold."

" You have a go, SG-1," Landry ordered, watching grimly as they headed to the beaming station, located in the gate room, with the rest of the base command that would partake in the fight for the rights of believing what each wanted. He knew that there was something seriously wrong when he had heard that they had lost contact with Teal'c and Daniel while they were gone to Ba'al's ship, but there was nothing that could be done about it. Sighing, he walked over to one of the communications station and took an available handset. " _Prometheus_, beam General O'Neill and myself to the White House, the President's office."

Immediately, they were bathed in a bright light. When it had gone, they were in the Main office in the White House. " Mr. President. The cavalry has just left," O'Neill said as he looked around and took a seat beside an old friend, General George Hammond, the commander of Stargate Command before himself. " But we may have another problem. We haven't received any communication from Teal'c or Daniel since they left for Ba'al's ship."

" Jack, Daniel's dead," Hammond said as he looked up sharply at his ex 2IC.

" Then you haven't been reading the recent reports. Turns out Daniel ascended after he had actually died. Which surprised me as much as any one else, only that Carter had called me up and told me to get there, pronto. I found out personally after they came back from their recent mission," Jack responded.

" NASA has tracked the _Prometheus_ before it entered hyperspace," Landry added his two cents worth. " Deep space tracking inside the SGC will be monitoring the progress of the battle and keep us up to date on any recent happenings."

" I have a feeling that this is going to be along couple of days. I'm just glad that I told every one that my office was completely off limits until any further notice," the President said as he settled into his chair. " Do we have a live line from the SGC to here at the moment?"

" Yes we do, Sir. In fact, we've connected the phone lines to that wire and we're ready to receive," Landry answered.

" Put it on speaker," the President ordered.

From then on, they were kept up to date on the progress of the battle as soon as the _Prometheus_ exited hyperspace and waited as the Asgard showed up.

Teal'c waited silently beside his friend as they headed to the battle site. Daniel had become much worse. The ascended archeologist was cold and clammy, and he was having much more trouble breathing. Ever since the dart had struck him in the shoulder, they had received no visitors. The metal strands had stayed in place ever since, keeping the linguist on his feet.

" Teal'c," Daniel whispered.

The jaffa looked up, surprised to see that his friend was awake. He stepped closer so he could hear what he was trying to say.

" I need you to do something for me," the linguist said in between wheezes. " Take my sword; get free, help others fight Ori."

" I shall not leave you here to be at the mercy of Ba'al and of the Ori, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c replied.

" How touching. It is too bad that he will die, but we are at the site of the battle, and your friends think that I am here to help them," Ba'al said, appearing as if from no where.

Raising his head from his chest, Daniel glared at the system lord. " You are not undefeatable, and I will find some way to defeat you, no matter what," he ground out, trying to contain his anger and pain.

At that precise moment, a voice spoke over an intercom, speaking in an urgent tone of voice in another language. Ba'al swore and left, leaving the two alone.

" Okay, scratch the first plan. I have a radio in my hood. Take it and send Prometheus a message," Daniel said, the pain becoming even more intense before he lost consciousness again.

" Colonel Mitchell, do you hear me? I repeat, this is Teal'c. I have an urgent message for Colonel Mitchell," Teal'c said into the radio, hoping that the transmission would be picked up by the right people.

" This is Thor, of the vessel _Daniel Jackson_. I shall forward your message to Colonel Mitchell. He shall be able to respond very soon," a voice came on the radio channel, before it was replaced with a familiar voice within moments.

" Teal'c! What's with the late calling?" Mitchell asked.

" I was captured by Ba'al. He intends to give myself and Daniel Jackson over to the Ori in order to protect the planets under his rule," Teal'c hurriedly explained. " I need immediate extraction. Daniel Jackson has been injected with a serum that is effective against the ascended. It is produced by the Ori, and it will kill any of the ancients should they be exposed to it."

" All right. I'll see if we can get to you and beam you up," Mitchell said. For a few moments, the line went dead before Mitchell came back on again. " We need to locate you before we try to get you off the ship."

" We are on the mid level in the prisoner quarters. You are needed to hurry," Teal'c said and waited while they were located.

" We have you on our screens. We're beaming you up now," Mitchell said.

Soon enough they had beamed the two up. Mitchell ran over to Teal'c and supported him as he collapsed. " What the hell is this stuff?" he asked, motioning to the metal that had been beamed aboard with the archeologist.

" It is a substance that when given a specific order, shall carry them out. I do not know how Ba'al managed to get his hands on it, but it would not have had an effect on an ascended," Thor answered as he walked to over the unconscious linguist. " What is wrong with him?"

" He has been injected with a serum. Ba'al said that it would kill him, and all other ancients," Teal'c responded.

" I see. I would need to run a series of tests on him to insure that it is not contagious to any one," Thor said before beaming himself and Daniel to the medical bay.

" Come on, we have to get you that tritonin in you, and call _Prometheus_. Every one's been worried since we lost contact with you and Daniel," Mitchell told the jaffa as he took the weight of the alien on one side. " _Prometheus_, this is the _Daniel Jackson_. We have some good news. Daniel and Teal'c are all right. But there are other matters at the moment. Daniel's been injected with some kind of virus. Don't send any of the ascended over here. This virus is formulated for them."

" This is Colonel Dereks. I'll send one of my pilots to Earth and inform them of the nature of this," A new voice came over the channel. " We also have one of the ascended demanding to know exactly what has happened."

" Tell him what I said before. Daniel's sick and it'll kill him," Mitchell said and waited a moment until the message had been relayed. " Oh, and tell Major Carter nothing. She doesn't need to know about it."

" Agreed. She has enough on her mind at the moment," Dereks answered.

In the medical bay, Thor had just started to run the tests on the blood that he had extracted from Daniel's arm. Once the tests were running, he went ahead to try and deprogram the metal so it would not hinder him.

" Thor?" he heard his name being called. Turning around, he noticed that the archeologist was awake.

" Dr. Jackson. It is good to see you, but not under these circumstances," Thor said as he continued to change the strand's programming. " I am, however, running into problems with your health."

" I'm aware of that. Just, please, stop fiddling with those programs," Daniel pleaded. The strands were getting tighter and he was starting to lose even more breath.

" I am sorry, Dr. Jackson," Thor said. An incoming transmission from one of the ships from his kind stopped him from doing any more work. " It seems that the Ori have been defeated. The entire fleet has been destroyed."

" Good news. Now, can you hurry up with those tests? I don't think that I'll be awake for very much longer," Daniel said, feeling the darkness trying to claim him.

" We've received word from one of our 302's. It seems that Ba'al had captured both Teal'c and Daniel and planned to give them to the Ori so they would leave his planets alone. The SGC reports that we won the battle and that we need a containment center ready. Daniel's caught some type of virus and it's slowly killing him," a technician reported to the President and the few who knew about the Stargate program.

" That's bad," Jack whispered to no one in particular.

_I was nice. I let the Ori lose._

_Okay, whoever reads this story must review. Like I said before, I'm not being encouraged enough._

_Next chapter, Sam finds out about Daniel being sick, Jon tries to help Daniel cure himself and the Ori come to Earth in a bigger and better ship._


	5. Cure

What Hurts the Most

Chapter 5: Cure

On board the _Daniel Jackson_, Daniel had been transferred to the infirmary there. It was odd, having an ascended who had become violently ill. As soon as the ancients had learned about Ba'al's deception, they had entered the ship and tore it apart, piece by piece, saving the system lord for last. They eventually brought him to a nearby, young, hot star, where they let him orbit it without any protection. Baked by the star's intense heat, Ba'al stayed a toasted object.

" Damn. Remind me to never piss off an ancient while I live," Mitchell told Teal'c as he watched the archeologist sleep uneasily inside the confines of the strands of metal that held him upright.

" Indeed," Teal'c agreed. He had no intention what so ever of doing such a thing, even if he wasn't in his right mind or under some one's control. The thought of what could happen would stop him dead in his tracks.

" Colonel Mitchell, do you read?" Samantha Carter's voice came over the speaker of his radio.

" Go ahead Carter. What's wrong?" Mitchell asked, suddenly on guard. He didn't want her to know that her husband was dying, _again_.

" What's wrong with every one? They're all acting funny and looking at me sadly when they think I'm not looking," Sam said.

" We'll tell you at the SGC, Carter, now forget about it," Mitchell said, trying to give her an order.

" No. I need to know now. Does it have something to do with Daniel?" she asked, trying to get every bit of information out of him.

" Carter…" Mitchell started to say, but he was cut off way before he could even try to finish his sentence.

" Colonel, if I don't get an answer, I will rewire these controls and beam myself aboard that ship right now," Sam said, her hand resting on the control panel, ready to reroute the power crystals and beam herself on the _Daniel Jackson_.

" Okay, but please don't storm onto this ship," Mitchell said, giving in quite reluctantly. " Teal'c and Daniel are all right. Well, mostly all right. Daniel's contracted some kind of virus that's deadly to any ancient who is exposed to it."

" What?" Sam asked, not all too sure that she heard him right the first time.

" He's dying, Carter. I'm sorry," Mitchell said softly.

" Oh, my God," Sam exclaimed in a low voice, sliding down a wall on one of the _Prometheus_'s levels. Some people who were passing her at the moment realized that she had learned the truth about Daniel's illness. " I'm coming over."

" Carter, don't…" Mitchell said, before he realized that she had beamed over. " Be stupid. Now you've run the chance of infecting yourself." He finished, starting to get angry at the Major.

" There is no threat to humans. I've finished testing and found that it will not kill humans, or is it in any way harmful to them. The ancients will contract it, but the virus avoids contact with mere humans as it dies with exposure to them," Thor said as he entered the room.

" Can I go see him?" Sam asked, her grey eyes never leaving the sight of her ascended husband from across a pane of window.

" Of course," Thor replied. " He has sentimental meaning to Major Carter, does he not?" he asked once Sam had left.

" Yeah. They were married, or were in the process of being married, before some idiot killed him. I don't really know why or how, but we found out who wanted Daniel dead not all that long ago," Mitchell said, still trying to figure out the true reason as to why Kinsey had decided to off Daniel. He left, leaving Sam with her husband to have a moment alone, with Teal'c and Thor following him.

Entering the room, Sam's breath hitched at the sight of Daniel. His skin was pale and covered with beads of sweat. He was so cold to the touch of her palm as she held his hand. " Daniel, what have you gotten yourself into now?" she asked under her breath. Reaching out, she caressed his face, ignoring the warm sweat that touched the palm of her hand.

" Sam?" Daniel murmured before his eyes opened. " What are you doing here?"

" I came to see you, silly," Sam answered, trying to keep her voice from cracking up in front of him. She wanted to reach out and hug him, but these strands of metal, whatever they were, surrounded him too much, restricting her from doing so. Instead, she gazed at him, unable to hide the tears in her eyes.

" Don't cry, Sam, please," Daniel whispered. It hurt him more than the pain he was feeling from the serum to see her sad. " It'll be all right."

" No it won't. Daniel, you're dieing again, and I can't do anything but stand around and watch, like last time," Sam said. " I really don't want go through that again, no matter what."

" What happened to Ba'al?" Daniel asked, his curiosity peaking when he thought about the system lord.

"We tore his ship apart to get to him, and brought him to a young blue super giant, unprotected, might I add. He's toast," came the answer, but not from Sam. Whipping their heads around, they both watched as Jon walked forward from the shadows of the room.

" Jon, what are you doing here?" Daniel asked, worried. " You're infected now, you know."

" Yes I am. This is a plague ship for the ancients. The elders know how to heal you and taught me, being the only volunteer who agreed to do this," Jon said, stepping closer to the two. " Besides, you have other things to do. It is your duty to stop the true Ori from going to Earth and destroying it. You also have a life and a family to live for on Earth."

" Jon, I won't let you do this," Daniel argued.

" It is too late for that. You must become the rampaging river to be at one with it," the ascended being said. Changing into his energy form, Jon placed a tendril of himself on the sick one in front of him. It took a while before Daniel cried out in pain, his back arcing up in an attempt to escape the pain. Jon grimaced. The virus was stronger than he had first thought, but he continued, knowing that he had to do this. Soon, he too, cried out in pain as the healing process finished.

Mitchell and Teal'c had hurried over when they had heard the screaming. They were amazed to see that there was another ancient on board, other than Daniel. Not too long after arriving, the other ascended being collapsed, twitching out in his final moments of life before disappearing completely from existence. Looking up, they watched as the metal strands holding Daniel upright fell away, letting the linguist drop to the ground, unconscious.

" What happened?" Mitchell demanded. " That was an ancient, right?"

" Yes, sir. Jon healed Daniel," Sam replied as she knelt down by her husband, stroking his head to comfort herself and keep Daniel calm incase he woke up and was disoriented.

It took nearly an hour for Daniel to wake up, and in that time span, the Asgard ship had reached Earth. Thor had come in once he had woken up and delivered the news that the archeologist was virus free. Sam was so happy that she hugged Daniel, forgetting about his bruised ribs until she heard him call out her name.

" Sorry Daniel," she said, apologizing to him.

" Please don't do that again. I almost passed out then," Daniel chided softly.

" Ah, Carter, Dr. Jackson. You should be glad to know that we are now in Earth's orbit and ready to be beamed down to the SGC," Mitchell announced as he walked through the open doors. " Come on, down to the beaming room you two go." He said and gently helped an unsteady Daniel to his feet and over to where Teal'c was waiting with Thor.

" I have just finished scanning the entire ship. I am glad to say that there is no trace of the virus any where on board this vessel," Thor said, moving away to activate the ship's beams.

Down on Earth, Generals Hank Landry, George Hammond and Jack O'Neill waited in the Gate room when the four were beamed down from the Asgard ship.

" Daniel, good to see you again," Hammond said.

" Good to be seen, General," Daniel said, accepting the hand that he offered, the other wrapped protectively around his ribs.

" We heard what happened up there. Care to explain, Danny boy?" Jack asked as he gestured to the briefing room located above the control room to the Gate room.

As they sat around the briefing table, Landry called up his daughter, Dr. Carolyn Lam to examine Daniel's ribs. While she was on her way up, Daniel started on his story, pausing only when Dr. Lam located a pretty sensitive spot that caused him to nearly black out. Once the story was done being told, much to mostly every one's shock, Dr. Lam revealed her prognosis.

" All bruised ribs, no broken ones. Dr. Jackson, you should count yourself as lucky for getting off that easily, especially after all that happened," Lam said.

" We have a problem. Before Jon healed Daniel, he said that the Ori were coming to Earth, and that it was up to Daniel to stop them," Sam spoke up.

" We don't have a lot of time before they arrive," Daniel added.

" That's why I was sent here," a new voice spoke up. Every one watched as a ball of light transformed into a very familiar face.

" Dad," Sam whispered.

Jacob Carter stood in a corner of the briefing room, acknowledging the attention directed to him with a nod. " Daniel, I was sent to give you all the support you needed. Oma told me that you know how to defeat the Ori," he said.

" I do. Do you have it with you?" Daniel asked.

" Oma wouldn't send me here without it," Jacob replied, pulling out a silver katana with an ivory hilt from his robes.

" Thank you. Tell Oma that I appreciate this a lot," Daniel said, taking the weapon's hilt in his hands, testing its balance with experimental twirls, fancy moves and mock slashing. " Perfect."

Sam watched as her father disappeared from sight and Daniel working with his new sword. " What are you planning on doing, Daniel?" she asked, slightly mesmerized by the sword show.

" I have to fight the Ori at their strong hold, Sam. This is something I have to do on my own," Daniel said, knowing that she would be shocked and worried at the news. " I will come back to you, don't worry." He had to do something, and kissed her, placing a hand on her stomach as he did so.

A golden light filled the room as Daniel kissed his wife. He was giving her what they both had wanted for a very long time, even before his death years ago, and that was a child; he was impregnating her without having sex.

" Take care of her," he whispered in her ear before heading to the Gate room and telling an air man on duty to dial the home address of the Ori. He knew that SG-1 had followed him, and he turned around as the second symbol on the Stargate lit up. " You guys can't come with me, you know."

" To hell with that. You'll need some help, and if you take the fall, some one needs to tell the others and help to coordinate the retaliation," Mitchell said, boldly stepping forward. " I'm a fast learner, and I will go with you, even if it's not my place. You can't stop me."

" Fine, but only you. Sam, Teal'c, I'm afraid that I can't let you come with us," Daniel said, turning back to the Gate as the final chevron lit up and the device activated with a splash. He walked up the ramp without hesitation, Mitchell following right behind him. He didn't look back once, knowing that he wouldn't be able to stand Sam's upset face.

Across the event horizon, Daniel walked right through the main town, knowing on instinct where to go. The people of this planet stared in wonder and fear as they realized who these strange people who had walked from the great stone circle of the non-believers, were. They followed them until they reached the town square, in which stood a stone structure.

" They burn the non-believers here, using molten metal," Daniel explained to the army man when he saw Mitchell's puzzled expression when he looked at the thing, then turning to the crowd. " Where is your prior?"

The man in question walked up from the lengthening shadow of a building, grey robes billowing slightly. " Hallowed are the Ori," he said, the people of the town bowing down on the ground and repeating the phrase. " Welcome, the Ori greet you." The man said in a different tone of voice.

Daniel's head perked up. " The Ori have chosen you for their vessel. That much easier for me to kill you and not waste my time looking for you," the linguist said, hefting his sword up and rushing in to attack, knowing that Mitchell had his back by keeping the people off his back.

The fight lasted around five minutes, Daniel ending the battle by killing the prior, his sword in his heart. As the corpse fell to the ground, he stumbled into the stone structure, wincing when his knees barked against the rock. He was winded, too winded to even notice that the chains, which had been enhanced with a spell a long time before, creeping towards him. By the time he did, it was too late. He was tied to the structure, and he noticed that there was some liquid metal slowly heading towards him.

_What a cliffhanger. I need reviews to see if Daniel will die or not. I know I said that the Ori would be heading to Earth, but I decided that Daniel would head to the home planet to avert the visit._

_Thanks to every one who gave in reviews. And future thanks to those who will._

_I need suggestions to what will happen to Kinsey. Please e-mail me your ideas at black fire dragon yahoo.ca._

_I still own nothing. Nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch._


	6. adios Ori, adios

What Hurts the Most

Chapter 6: Adios Ori, Adios

Mesmerized by the molten metal, Daniel never made a single, solitary sound until he could feel its heat a good ten feet away. " Mitchell, a little help here," he called out to the military man, tugging on the chain in a futile attempt to escape.

" Shit," Mitchell said and hurried over to try and help free the man when he was thrown back and knocked unconscious from the force of the blow when the back of his head connected with the wall of a building. He slumped down in a heap at the base, head lolling on his chest limply.

A roaring wall of fire rose from the fallen body of the chosen prior. Flames licked at Daniel's unprotected face, driving him away from the chains and closer to the flowing metal as it crept to him.

Tugging at the chains that held his arms, Daniel tried to get some leeway to swing the sword at the Ori's natural form. There was no room. If he didn't act now, he would be burnt to a crisp and it would be sure that he would never see Sam again. Stabbing the blade down, a natural shield sprang up, protecting him as the metal slowly flowed around him, hardening as it touched the cold barrier.

Mitchell woke up groggy, his head furiously pounding to the rhythm of his favorite band. Eyes opening a crack, he watched as the molten metal hardened around Daniel before his air was cut off as an invisible hand closed around his throat. Testing the strength of the hand, he knew that struggling was a waste of time.

" Would you wish to have your friend here pay the price of your misdeeds?" a deep, menacing voice asked.

Looking up, Daniel growled. " Leave him alone," he hissed, drawing his weapon from the stone, chains rattling around him as he stood up. " You want me, not him. Come and fight me."

" Very well," came the answer and the hand cast Mitchell away, never hesitating to draw a broadsword from his belt. It attacked ferociously. It never gave Daniel a chance to try to defend himself as it attacked.

Daniel groaned inwardly. This just had to happen. Here he was, shackled to a stone burning altar and fighting off the Ori while Mitchell tried to regain his sense of balance and orientation from a sure concussion. Things couldn't get any worse, could they? He thought as he parried with the Ori, fighting to live and to see Sam once again before he was ready to die.

Suddenly, he could feel all the people of Earth giving him energy, as if they had sensed that something was wrong and were concentrating on it, trying to figure out what it was they felt. He could feel Teal'c as he meditated in his room. Kel'no'reem, as it was called. Sam, as she hugged a pillow and cried, wishing for him to come back safely. Jack, as he paced in his old office, wondering why he had never told how he felt about the archeologist's work. Sarah, as she stopped in cold blood, dropping an ancient tablet, shattering it into many pieces. General Hammond, as he sat at a desk in the SGC, thinking about the future of the program and its personnel. The Kelownan, Jonas Quinn, as he gazed around Daniel's old room, eyes falling on the tablet of the ascended that he had helped to acquire when Daniel was ascended for the very first time. The President, as he realized that the Stargate program had to be revealed to the public that very day, or sometime just as soon. Those who had gone to Atlantis as they paused in their fight against the Wraith as one, their combined strength creating a shield and helping him out. Other races that he had met in his travels from the Stargate; the Asgard, the Tollan, the rebellious Jaffa, the Knox, the Unas and other races that he couldn't all remember were stopping their daily activities and lending power to the ascended archeologist. He could feel the other ancients as they gave him all their power to him to finish off this evil. He came to one conclusion as he fought.

He would win at any cost.

Drawing on the strength that he was receiving, Daniel swung the sword with all of his might, knocking the broadsword out of the Ori's grasp. He took out a dagger, a dagger forged by the ancients, and stabbed down on his opponent.

" I shall not lose," the Ori ground out, embracing Daniel as it started to die.

Mitchell watched in amazement as Daniel started to fade with the Ori. Snap aiming his P-90, he gazed on as Daniel faded entirely from view. Wide-eyed, he walked over to the spot, turning in a circle as he tried to figure out what happened. Finally, common sense took over him and he ran to the Stargate, dialing for home. He sent his GDO, or garage door opener as Jack called it when he was leading SG-1, and waited while the iris was open and was given the go ahead to step through the event horizon.

As soon as he stepped through the Gate and was on the other side, he went straight to the briefing room, forgoing the post-examination and explained what had happened on the Ori home world.

" He what?" Jack nearly screamed out once he heard the news. Now that was bad. Daniel had died again, and Carter was anxious to see him again. Taking a deep breath, he sighed and headed to the infirmary.

Sam waited while Dr. Lam finished her tests. She dearly wished that Daniel would make it back safely. She had heard the klaxons go off about five minutes ago and eagerly waited for him to come to her. She had wondered what he had done to her when they kissed before he left. When she heard a knock, she looked up eagerly, but seeing that it was only Jack she put on a small smile for his benefit.

" Hey, Sir," she said.

" Carter. I um, have some news for you," Jack said, sitting down next to her.

" What happened?" Sam asked, knowing from his tone of voice that something had happened to Daniel after he had left.

" Daniel won the fight. But he paid a price. You see, the Ori took him with it when it died," Jack explained, knowing how this would affect her, and it would be worse than the time when he ascended for the second time.

" No. He can't be gone," Sam cried, eyes closed, before deciding that pounding the General in front of her would be a good way to get rid of excess anger, which she had a lot of.

Jack winced as her blows connected with his chest. Taking her hands in his, he warded off the blows until some one on the medical staff could sedate her. He sat by her side until Dr. Lam came in.

" I did have some good news for her," the doctor said. " Turns out, what Dr. Jackson did was make her pregnant, the equivalent of a one month pregnancy."

" I don't think that she'll take this very well now that he's gone from her life again, but some how I know that he knew he wouldn't come back from this one," Jack whispered as he stared down at her still form.

General Landry called the President, personally informing him of Daniel's death in the line of duty, again. Saddened by this turn of events, he decided to postpone the big event of revealing the Stargate program that very day.

" Hank, I need to let you know something. I know that everyone on the planet felt it when Daniel was fighting the Ori, and they will be wanting an answer, so I will be airing the documentary that Bregman filmed at the end of next week," the President said, waiting for the General's reaction.

" I believe that that would be a good idea, but so soon after this incident? Why not wait a little longer? We all know that Dr. Jackson has a problem staying dead," Landry said.

" I know, but believe me, when the press come knocking at your front door, you'll have to meet with their demands, or run chances with millions of conspiracy theories running wild out there, some of which are absolutely ridiculous," Hayes responded. " My decision is finalized. The program will be aired next week. How does the rest of the team take the news, Hank?"

" Pretty bad, Sir. Jack's blaming himself, Teal'c has no heart in anything any more, George is feeling down as well, and Carter's pretty out of it. Speaking of Sam, before Daniel left, he did something to her, something for the good of things. He made her pregnant. Jack somehow thinks that Dr. Jackson knew that he wouldn't be coming back this time around," Landry replied.

" That's some type of good news then. How does she feel about it?" the President asked.

" She doesn't know. She attacked Jack when he told her about Daniel and has been kept under. She should be waking up soon, and it will be a third war down here when she does," Landry answered.

" Let me know about things. I'm scheduling a live press conference after the documentary has been aired," the President said before hanging up and leaning back in his chair. Next week was going to be a hell of a busy one, that he knew and he didn't need a psychic to tell him that. Taking a deep breath, he picked up the phone and called the news cast, intending to schedule a live conference on the specific date and time he wanted and he would have them broadcast the program before hand, informing every one else to tune in as well. This was going to be a very big shocker.

Sam lay in bed, not willing to move or to respond to any one. She had withdrawn into herself since she had woken up, the final reality of Daniel's death hitting her like a ton of bricks moving at light speed. 'Why did it have to happen this way? Why did you have to die Daniel? Why?' she thought, unable to contain her emotions any longer and sobbed out loud.

Dr. Lam watched from the observation window. The heart breaking sobs were heard clearly across the speakers. The physician watched as the woman in front of her curled up on herself, trying to cut herself off from this world. Having been informed of the SGC's near future, she had been left with the responsibility of telling Dr. Carter as soon as possible.

" Daniel," Sam cried his name over and over, drowning herself on sorrow, worse that the last time. She had been told that she was pregnant a few hours ago and had promptly screamed bloody murder at the nurse and threw the clipboard at the woman. Ever since she had stopped listened to others while they tried to talk to her, and she had blocked them from her mind. Hearing the door open, she curled in on herself even further, trying to disappear from the pain.

" Sam? Samantha? Listen, I was told to tell you this, but I really have no idea how to tell you, so I'll tell you the way they told me," Dr. Lam said, taking a chair and positioning it bedside. " Sam, the SGC is going to be revealed by the end of next week. The President has decided to air the documentary the Mr. Bregman did a couple of years back and then hold a press conference. He wants to have some specimens of other aliens and would like you to speak and tell them what the Gate is made up of along with other things that I have no idea of."

Sam stayed silent. Why was the President revealing the program? Why did he want her to speak? Didn't he understand that she didn't feel the need to concentrate on work anymore? That she wanted to die from the ache from the empty space that Daniel had left in her heart?

" I know that you're not feeling up to it, but you have an obligation. To let Daniel's memory live on from all the work that he's done. Translating the cover stone, fighting the Goa'uld, translating the ancient's tablet that led to Atlantis, and more, much more. He wouldn't want you to be wallowing in your emotions. He'd want you to live and love life to the fullest with your child that he gave you," Dr. Lam continued. " Please, Sam, don't drown in sorrow. You found a great life, even if it was cut too short with Daniel, and live it. It hurts all of us that he's gone, but I've lost friends, some who were patients of mine, but I live with their memory inside me. I know how they would feel if I was doing like you are right now."

She was right. It was time to let Daniel's memory live on, to let the world know of the work that he had done to keep Earth free from the slavery of the Goa'uld. She had to live for him, and her child, no matter what. Lifting her head from the bed, she looked straight up at Carolyn. Tear reddened eyes hardened with their will to live. " I will do this for him," she said before giving a small smile. She got off the bed and headed to the bathroom to freshen her appearance.

" Good for you, Sam," Dr. Lam whispered before rising from the chair and heading out of the room, intending to tell her father the news.

_Hey people. I know that these latest chapters are taking long. I'm running a slight case of writer's block. Keep reviewing for my sake. I also need ideas as what to do with Kinsey._

_Next chapter, the Stargate revealed._


	7. Stargate revealed

What Hurts the Most

Chapter 7: Stargate revealed

The week had passed by so fast. Even if she was working hard, Sam always found the time to mourn Daniel's death. Going over her things, trying to decide what she would use for the conference, she knew that this would be one of the hardest things that she had ever done in her life. A knock at the door prevented her from doing much more. Turning, she saw that Jack stood there, the same expression on his face as the first time Daniel ascended.

" Sir," Sam almost whispered, putting the pile of files back on her desk to go through later that day.

" Carter. What are you doing?" Jack asked as he entered the room, eyeballing pictures of the team when they had first destroyed Apophis. That was one hell of a party, ending with most of the base completely drunk and leaving Sam and Daniel to take care of them. The doctor at the time, Dr. Fraiser hadn't been happy at the turn of events, but she smiled and forgave them all when she learned that not every body was drunk that night. She would have been glad that Sam became pregnant.

" Preparing for the conference," she answered. " It won't be the same without Daniel here to explain how he knew all that he did and deciphered the cover stone."

" I know. Listen, I dropped by to see how you were doing. Teal'c, Mitchell and I were heading to O'Malley's for some food. You want to come?" he asked.

" Food sounds good," Sam said. She grabbed her coat, and put it on top of her casual's, having been too upset to put on her uniform. " I hope that you're paying, though, Sir."

" Now there's something that Mitchell can do," Jack said as he led the way to the outside of the base.

The President sat at his desk, reviewing the words that he had written for tonight's airing of the documentary and live conference while the camera crew set up. He sighed and drank a sip of water, placing the glass back on the desk as he thought of the future of it all.

" Mr. President? We're all set up and ready to go," a voice said, startling him out of his reverie.

" In five minutes," he replied.

As soon as the five minutes had passed, the President cleared his throat and looked down at his paper for the final time. " Citizens of Earth. Tonight I come to you to reveal to you all what has been hidden from you for all of twelve years. Last week, we all felt a crisis unfold, our minds accepting that there was something deadly going on very far from here. I beg for your forgiveness for all that has happened and please stay tuned. I have had a special documentary filmed five years ago and have decided to air it tonight. Afterwards, I have a scheduled live conference with these people who run a covert operation call the Stargate program. What we have covered up in the past will all be revealed to you. Listen as we tell you what really happens in the bowels of Cheyenne Mountain in The Gate of the Heavens."

" And cut," one of the technicians said and the camera man stopped filming. " And we are now proceeding to the documentary, Mr. President."

" Sir, will you be coming to the SGC for the conference?" Landry asked as he came into the room.

" Of course, Hank," Hayes responded, hiding his surprise when he was beamed to the base, along with the camera crew.

" What the hell happened?" one of them exclaimed, looking around him, amazed at the wonder of being beamed to another spot miles away from the starting point instantaneously.

" You didn't watch the documentary when we were told to, Dylan?" a technician asked, annoyed at the fact that the man never did his homework. " Maybe I should tell the boss that you should be kicked off the team."

Ignoring their bickering, the President and General Landry made their way to the Gate room, where a few other select crews were setting up. The original members of SG-1 were present, minus Daniel of course, and so was Colonel Cameron Mitchell. It ached to see that the man responsible for all of this would no longer be around, but in a war, things hardly always went according to plan.

" Will we be having a couple of our allies here?" Hayes asked, taking a seat in a nearby chair, nodding hello's to every one present.

" We have Thor of the Asgard, Master Bra'tac from the jaffa rebels and Jonas Quinn will also be here to replace Dr. Jackson," General George Hammond answered as he entered the room, followed by the Kelownan.

It wasn't all that long before they received a call that told them that the conference would be stating very soon. Setting up, they ignored a chill, assuming that it was a draft from the shaft. By the time they were ready to go live, they had all felt the chilly air.

" We are live in five, four, three," the cameraman said, and showing his fingers for the last two numbers before they aired.

" We are live, here with the front line defense of the Stargate program, the few who stand in the way of complete take over from the Goa'uld," the reporter said. " These men and women fight in a war that could bring the rest of us to our knees in defeat. The front team, SG-1, was once led by Jack O'Neill, who is now a General, and helps to over see the program's outings. The brilliant mind of the team is Colonel Samantha Carter, referred to as Sam by those who know her well. The commander at present, Colonel Cameron Mitchell has survived the attack at Antarctica four years ago, after his plane crashed. The alien member of the team, Teal'c, has been fighting his own kind since the beginning. Standing in for the now deceased Dr. Daniel Jackson is Jonas Quinn, a man who has learned all of Earth's history in a single year and is just as knowledgeable about history as the original linguist was. Together, they have turned back many forces that could have torn the planet apart long before now. They have accidentally gated to a planet on the verge of being sucked up by a black hole, have been overrun by alien life forms on too many occasions to count and have been forcefully taken by the enemy, but escaping without a scratch, which is rare enough in its own rights," were the introductions and descriptions of their close encounters. " Tell us about the Stargate, Colonel Carter."

" Well the Gate, is made up of a type of metal that resembles quartz not found on Earth. It's made of Naquada, a slightly radioactive material, but no more than a small radio. Once the seven chevrons have been locked into the system, it will activate. The resulting wormhole looks like a puddle of water. Now to remind you all that we can travel light years away from here, sometimes all the way to distant galaxies, which has happened to two locations, one many years back and the other recently, starting four years ago. One in the Asgard home world and to the Pegasus galaxy, where the Atlantis expedition crew has gone, led by Dr. Weir and Colonel John Sheppard," Sam explained.

" Who are the Asgard, Colonel?"

" They are the aliens that have crashed in Roswell. Their ship had been struck by lightning, and not knowing exactly what happened, they crashed. We have met with them several times, mostly by the fleet commander, Thor," Carter said, waving a hand to the alien, urging him to speak.

" I have been honored to fight with the Taur'i on many occasions. They have helped to save my home planet, just as I have placed yours in a system treaty, preventing it from attacks by those who fear us," Thor spoke. " Colonel Carter, I must leave. There is an urgent matter I must attend to."

" Good to see you Thor," Jack said. " Drop in anytime."

A beam of light blinded almost every one for a minute, except those who were used to the technology, before Sam hurriedly explained what had happened. " That was a transporter beam. The Asgard developed it. We have versions of it in our own ships that orbit around Earth," she said.

" That's amazing," exclaimed the reporter.

" You haven't seen anything just yet," Jack said, getting up and moving to Teal'c's side and place a hand on the big guy's shoulder in a friendly way. " Would you believe us if I say that we have seen beings that exist on a higher plane of existence, aliens who think that they are gods, little metal spiders that consume anything alloyed and weapons from ancient beings that once lived on Earth? Teal'c and Master Bra'tac here are the ones who pretty much coordinated the rebellion of the jaffa, and won, might I add. Or that Jonas here is an alien?"

" No I wouldn't. But still, it is amazing," the man said before the technician at the Gate controls spoke into the microphone at the desk.

" Incoming wormhole," he said. " We have no off world teams, Sirs, at present. The iris will not respond either."

" Get every one away from the ramp, now!" Landry called out from the sidelines where he stood with the President.

" Come on folks. Keep rolling, but back away. The grand opening can kill you when you're too close to it," Jack said, ushering the crew along away from the base of the ramp and to a safe distance.

The Stargate activated, sending forth its usual splash, which amazed all the camera crews. " Energy levels fluctuating, radiation has risen slightly. No signal from anyone as of yet," the technician said.

All of a sudden, sparks of energy jumped around the transportation device, the color of the event horizon change to a golden color. The same color, Sam realized as the energy forms of the ancients. The whining sound the Gate emitted was getting louder and louder, and a fog was beginning to form around it. They could all see a vague, shimmering figure in the mist, but couldn't tell who it was. Finally, the Stargate deactivated, the fog dissipating slowly.

She knew who it was that had collapsed at the foot of the Stargate. Sam's feet unconsciously carried her to the still figure, realizing that he was naked. Taking off her jacket, she laid it over his privates, gently shaking his shoulder. She felt the tears slip down her face as she continued to try and rouse him, memories of his gift rising to the surface. She was finally rewarded with a glassy blue-eyed gaze framed by a very pale face with telltale bruises here and there on his entire body.

" What happened to you this time, Daniel?" she asked cradling his head, ignoring the boggling eyes of the camera crews as they continued to film the entire exchange. She could feel his entire body stiffen and go into convulsions. " I need a medical team in here, stat!" she yelled out, holding on tighter to the body.

Hayes gaped like a fish out of water. Daniel Jackson had come back from the dead again. The proverbial cat with nine lives came to mind as he watched Dr. Samantha Carter hold the man close to her, trying not to cry in front of the others. The crowded around them, but gave enough breathing room that there would be no chance that if Daniel woke up, he wouldn't panic. Soon enough, he saw Hank's daughter run in with a couple of the nurses and a stretcher in hand.

" On three, we move him," she ordered. Counting down, the doctor steadied her grip on the linguist's feet. " One, two three, now!"

In one smooth movement, Daniel had been placed on the stretcher and was down the hall before any one could react to anything. Before anyone could stop her, Sam had taken off after the medical team.

" We need to clear this up, now," Hammond muttered to Jack.

" I agree," the gray haired man said before turning to the news crews. " May I have your attention…"

_There's chapter seven. For originally a one shot, this turned out to be a good story. Next chapter, the archeological community apologizes to Daniel when he wakes up_

_Hey, what happens to Kinsey guys? Must I consult some crazy friends of mine and turn him into a monkey? Or an ass(donkey)?_

_I need some help. Seeing as I have a thing for Daniel related action/adventure stories, I need a title for my new one that I'll start as soon as What Hurts the Most is over with. The basic idea is that Daniel meets an animal spirit from the ancients, which will be a wolf, and he becomes one with it. He and Sam fall in love (they make such the perfect pair, I find), but Sam's being stalked and she's kidnapped. Haven't really worked out the details for the rescue, but it'll be a happy ending, that I'm sure of._


	8. returning to the land of the living

What Hurts the Most

Chapter 8: Returning to the world of the living

Dr. Lam held her amazement at the fact that Dr. Jackson was still alive. Now that they had taken him away from Sam, he was becoming restless. Just as she was about to call for the astrophysicist, the other woman appeared beside her, a pleading look in her eyes. " Yes, you can come with us, just try to stay out of every one's way if something goes wrong," Carolyn said and turned back to her patient, noting a large change in her charge since Sam had appeared.

Back in the Gate room, Jack had just finished telling the whole short version of the story to the interviewer when Oma showed up. " Ah, the prodigal ascended returns," he said sarcastically, trying to keep from sneering out in plain view. " What exactly do you want this time, Oma?"

" To see how the reactions have been," the ancient replied, this time speaking without her undecipherable usual riddles, which surprised every one who was there who knew her.

" What happened to Dr. Jackson?" Hammond demanded to know for every one's sake.

" He died when he fought against the Ori. We found them locked in death. We knew that he had to return to this planet, so we healed him," Oma replied, not unnerved at all by the General's tone of voice. " He may not be the same as you once knew him. He is changed for the good of all."

" And what the Hell does that mean?" Jack shouted out, barely containing his anger as he spoke.

" You shall see soon. The wind may be strong, but the tree will not bend without a fight," Oma said before disappearing.

" Damn," Jack muttered before taking off in a dead sprint to the infirmary to tell the doctors the recently discovered news flash. He idly wondered why these things all ways had to happen to Daniel, ascended being or not. It wasn't always fair to the guy. Why couldn't he be given a break by the Powers that Be?

Carolyn Lam had just finished with all of the preliminary tests when Jack rushed in, almost bowling her off of her feet as she headed to the small lab in the infirmary to start the analysis of the blood work that she had taken from her patient. " General O'Neill, be careful. You might end up on the wrong end of a scalpel one of these days," she scolded him like she would a small child.

" Sorry. We just got a visit from Oma. She told us that Daniel had been changed for the good of all of this," Jack said. " You need to do more tests to make sure that there isn't a bomb inside him like Nirti did to Cassandra. You never know what those ascended or other species of alien have done to any one any more."

" I'll get right to it," Lam said before turning around when she suddenly heard a commotion coming from the bed that the orderlies had placed Daniel in when they had come in.

Sam had been soothingly stroking Daniel's hand when Jack had come in. Turning around to hear what he had to say, she inadvertently stopped patting her husband's hand. She never noticed when he mumbled something in his sleep, or when he started to twitch, lightly at first, then more violently. The only thing that registered in her mind was when the heart machine he was hooked up to started to scream, including him, clearly showing his evident panic. Nurses rushed over to see what was happening, and to try to stop Daniel from a looming heart attack.

" He's going into cardiac arrest!" One of the nurses shouted as she stripped away the blankets that they had piled on him.

As Carolyn hurried to help, she shouted out instructions to every one, including Sam. " Sam, I need you to help me here. See if you can calm him down for us," the doctor ordered.

Almost asking how on Earth she was supposed to do that, she suddenly answered her own question. Daniel had started acting up when she had stopped stroking his hand, stopped trying to keep him calm for the medical staff to check him over. Deciding it was worth a shot, she went over to the head of the bed and laid a hand on his shoulder, whispering little nonsense things to him in hopes of calming him down, the thumb of her other hand rubbing circles on his cheek. She was rewarded when she saw that he had calmed down. She was even more surprised when she looked at his face and saw that he was looking at her.

" Daniel," she said, unaware of the tears coursing down her cheeks. " God, I love you."

Opening his mouth as if to speak, Daniel looked closely at Sam's face before saying a word. " Be happy, Sam. I'm not going any where," he said before losing consciousness again and drifting off to sleep, her hand held tightly in his.

" Now that I have some good news to tell every one else, I'll just go and tell them myself now," Jack said upon seeing that Carter would be going no where; Daniel was holding her hand too tight to let her go anywhere from his side. " See you in a bit kids. Doc, once he wakes up, and you clear him from all of this torture, I'm holding another welcome back party at my place. Just don't tell him right now, I'll do that later." Jack told the physician before walking off, whistling a bit under his breath. He was heard to be mumbling as he exited the infirmary. " If he keeps this up, I'm going to run out of my money so I can't retire."

Smiling at her former commander's complaints and at Dr. Lam's retort about medical exams being torture and that he still had a check up to do before he left the base, Sam turned her gaze back to Daniel, who was sleeping peacefully now that she was there again, holding his hand. Failing to hold back a yawn, she closed her eyes and was soon asleep, against her very own wishes.

As morning came around, the slowly arriving day staff noticed that some how during the night that Sam had maneuvered to almost on the bed and that Daniel, who had shifted in his sleep, had his arm wrapped around her. They looked peaceful, so they left them sleeping as they were, knowing that the contact would be good therapy for both of them.

A few hours later, Daniel woke up extremely hungry. Asking a nearby nurse to please get him some food, he then turned his attention to Sam. She looked so angelic when she was sleeping, even if his arm was numb from its position. Easing his arm from under her, he suddenly remembered what he did to her before he left to fight the Ori. He had impregnated her, giving them a child to care for. Deciding that he would ask what gender the child would be later, he watched as the nurse walked in with a tray holding enough food for both him and Sam. He dug in, knowing that the odors would wake up his wife from her sleep. Soon enough, she awoke, immediately grabbing a toast and piling it with strawberry jam. It was her favorite.

" Sleep well?" she asked, biting into her toast and licking the jam off of the side of her mouth.

" Considering I came back from the dead, again, might I add? Pretty damn good," Daniel answered, eating a forkful of scrambled eggs. " Speaking of which, do you know what gender the baby is just yet?"

" I never thought to ask. When Dr. Lam comes in, we'll ask her," Sam said, grabbing his fork from his hand and taking some eggs for herself. She was starving; she didn't eat any thing out of nervousness for the live conference yesterday. She was so hungry that even the food from the cafeteria which was usually bland, tasted as if it was from a fine restaurant.

They finished the rest of the plate in silence. As the tray was being taken back to the cafeteria, Dr. Lam walked in. Noticing that her patient was awake and alert, she decided to speak with them, mostly about Sam's sudden pregnancy.

" Daniel, good to see that you're awake," she started, grabbing a chair and pulling it to the side of the bed. " I know that there is the possibility that you remember all that you did, so I'll cut this short for you. Yes, you did impregnate Colonel Carter. You will be the lucky parents of a little boy. Your blood work shows a few strange anomalies, but nothing serious as far as I can tell. I want you to stay here on base for a couple of days to keep a close eye on you, just in case."

Daniel knew better than to argue with a doctor, though he did do it a long time ago, with his old doctor, Dr. Janet Fraiser. He remembered the day when she died on another planet. He had been by her side, recording an injured man's final words as he believed he would die. A jaffa had snuck up on them, firing and killing Janet. Trying to get rid of the memory, he sat up even further in the bed and held Sam's hand in his. In less than nine months, they would have a baby of their own.

" Daniel, we should start thinking about names," she said when he grabbed her hand.

" We have plenty of time to do that. The first thing that I want to do right now is get up and watch the news," Daniel said, grabbing the remote for the small television in the corner of the room and turned it on.

" As of yesterday, the public is still in a state of shock from learning about the Stargate program, a secret withheld from the public since it's first opening for a mission ten years ago. Pam, I understand that you have some people with you that would like to express their feelings towards all of this," a young man in his thirties said

" Yes I do. Here with me are Melanie Anders, John Keatling, Jenny David and Shaun McNeilson. Ms. Anders, can you tell us what you think about this sudden revelation about this program?" an oriental woman asked a young woman with brown hair.

" I think that it was wrong that it was hidden from us all of that time. Nine years is long enough. I know that it was to protect the public, but I think that since that first near death experience Earth has faced, they should have come out with it, instead of covering it up. Some one may have not acted in a state of shock," the Anders woman said before the camera panned to the next person on the list, a man about forty with dark hair graying and pale green eyes.

" And what do you think, Mr. Keatling?" Pam asked.

" I do believe that the government should not have revealed this program. But seeing as every one on the planet felt the desperation of some being, I do believe that they had reason to tell us all, despite what may have happened," John said.

" Mrs. David. Tell us your point of view on all of this,"

" I say I must agree with Ms. Anders. The government should not have kept us all in the dark. We, the public, have a right to know what is going on, just like the stories about Roswell and Area 51," Mrs. David said. " We do have the right to know the truth."

" Very well. And finally, Mr. Shaun McNeilson. What do you have to say about this problem?" Pam asked.

" Well, working for the civilian branches of the government, I knew that there was something wrong, something hidden, but I never asked. It wasn't my business to know. Since then, I heard certain keywords, such as the SGC or strange designations, like P4X 7S5. I often assumed that they were words for highly classified documents. What I do know is that, the program was hidden from us for a reason, and that reason is mass public panic. No government wants a panicked public on their hands, and we don't want to be faced with a threat that we can't comprehend," McNeilson said.

" That's a way of putting it that I never even considered. Thank you to you all for telling us what you think of the program," Pam said before signing out.

Just then, the phone rang. Dr. Lam answered it, and then handed the receiver to Sam, telling her that it was her brother.

" Mark? Hi. How are the kids?" she asked. Daniel listened in, trying to figure out the other end of the conversation. " Yes, I was lying to you about my work. I had to; it was confidential." A pause. " I know about dad too. Yes, he was dying of cancer, but I offered him something to save his life. He became Tok'ra. He did die about a couple of weeks ago; his symbiote had died when the incident in Antarctica occurred." Another pause. " I'm sorry." Sam said before hanging up.

" It'll be okay," Daniel said, pulling his wife into an embrace, consoling her as she cried. " On the other hand, I think that the archeology community will come knocking with apologies. If they get too demanding, let's hide in the closet."

Sam laughed, despite the new turmoil between her brother and her.

_Hey people. Two more chapters until this story is done. I need ideas for the Kinsey thing. I only have one here. What will happen? Work with me people._

_Check out my new series coming up. Once this story is done, I will start with the NEW ALLIES series that I have decided to do. This series will consist of various shows and books, such as the Outlanders, Mack Bolan and Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda. Stay tuned for updates. Also check for others that will be up ASAP._

_Read and review or I'll die and come back to haunt you for not telling me what you think about my story. Good or Bad, I accept it all._


	9. apologies

What Hurts the Most

Chapter 9: Apologies

It was months before Daniel and Sam finally moved in together at her place. They had decided to live at her house seeing as there was considerably more room instead of Daniel's apartment. There, they moved all of the artifacts that Daniel held in his possession to the shed in the backyard, where it was kept under lock and key. Most of his furniture at Daniel's apartment was sold, except for the very few items that they both wanted to keep.

" Jack's coming down to help finish moving ' your rocks', as he put it. Said that he'd be here in about fifteen minutes," Sam said from the kitchen as she prepared their lunch. " He's bringing Teal'c and Mitchell as extra hands."

" In other words, Jack's going to do the less of the work, letting us ' kids' do the bulk," Daniel said, slipping on a camouflaged muscle shirt. He had been arranging the artifacts into cushioned cardboard boxes as to prevent them from breaking, and to catalogue them as accurately as possible when Sam called him into the house for a lunch break.

Half an hour later, Jack's truck pulled up in the drive. Daniel was already back in the shed, arranging some more boxes that he had brought into the cramped space.

" Carter, where's Danny?" Jack called out through the front door.

" Back at work in the shed," came the answer from inside the kitchen.

At that moment, the phone rang. Sam picked it up after reading the I.D. It was from Cheyenne Mountain. " Hello?" she said.

" Samantha Carter?" a deep male voice asked.

" Yes," she answered.

" I have an important message for Dr. Daniel Jackson. He is to call the community of archeologists as soon as possible," the voice continued.

" I'll tell him right now. Thank you for calling," Sam said and hung up. She headed out to the shed, knowing that the community wanted to apologize to Daniel for turning him into an outcast because of his supposedly outrageous ideas about the pyramids. As she approached, she heard Jack complaining about the amount of boxes that had to be classified in a certain order.

" Jack, this is my way of working, the same way you have a working system, which is hardly a thing at all, considering that you hardly read any reports, or write them for that matter," Daniel said, placing a box in its right area. He noticed Sam as she came into the small space. " Hey Sam. What's wrong?"

" You have to call the community. They called Cheyenne Mountain not too long ago, and would like you to call back as soon as you can," Sam said, handing him the cordless phone, watching his posture as he exited the shed. She knew that he wanted to be alone to talk with them.

Daniel slowly dialed the number that he thought he would never use in his lifetime again. " This is Dr. Daniel Jackson. I understand that the heads of the community called Cheyenne Mountain to speak to me," he told the secretary when she answered.

" Please hold on while I transfer you, sir," the woman said before he was put on hold. A few minutes later, she came back on the line. " You may go ahead, sir. They are listening."

" Hello, Dr. Jackson. I see that you've received our message so soon. You may not know me, but I am the new head of directors, Joey Lionel. Here with me are Julie Steele, Duane Julios, Merle Sydney and Marc Hamilton," a man's voice said across the line.

" Hello, Mr. Lionel. I'm glad to make your acquaintance, though as to why you call me instead to arrange a meeting eludes me," Daniel told Lionel.

" We, as a whole, have feared a total humiliation by the entire public, and resolved to speak to you by phone. I hope that you can understand our predicament," Lionel started to say.

" No, I can't understand your predicament. I came straight out with my ideas about the pyramids and was humiliated severely by all of the community, but I was proven right in the end. You can't even stand a small amount of public humiliation. No, you are cowards," Daniel interrupted. " I don't care what you have to say. If you can't even stand some type of humiliation, I don't think that you deserve to be the head of the archeology community. I have been aware of this longer than you have, so leave alone until you can come down on your own. Good bye." Daniel hung up the phone and brought it back into the house. He was angry, so angry, at the community. Suddenly, a blinding pain tore through his entire body, causing him to cry out. His head was a size too small for his brain. Within seconds, he was unconscious on the floor, unaware of his friends and family surrounding him in worry.

Sam, upon hearing Daniel cry out in pain, rushed inside the house, unprepared for what had happened. It looked as if a small hurricane had passed through. Everything was flung around and in disarray, with Daniel lying curled up in a ball in the middle of it. Stumbling over some of the objects, she made her way to her husband and felt for a pulse. Luckily, there was one, though erratic and steady.

" Carter, what the hell happened in here?" Jack asked when he entered the house.

" I have no clue, sir. But I have a suspicion that somehow Daniel caused this," Sam answered. " I knew that he would be angry when the community of archeologists called instead of coming down or scheduling an appointment. I suppose that this is what happened. He had so much anger in him that it had to come out, and this is how it happened."

" Okay. I think that we should get him back to the base," Mitchell said. " I know that the whole world knows about the Stargate, but they have no clue about the ancients, and they have absolutely no way of handling this if he has another anger attack."

" Indeed," Teal'c said before bending down and picking Daniel up, bringing him to the truck. " This must be what Oma was talking about when she told us that Daniel Jackson had changed for the better? He must now possess the ability to project his feelings."

" That's one way of looking at it, T," Jack said as he slid into the driver's seat. He waited until Teal'c and Sam had installed themsleves in the bed of the truck while Mitchell got in the passenger side. Jack took off when the door to the bed was closed, paying no heed to any lights as he made his way to the Mountain by using the back roads that he had been using for a while now.

The guards at the gate had been busy trying to keep reporters and curious people out of the base when Jack rumbled up, honking his horn to clear a way for the vehicle. Startled, the crowd parted, but immediately tried to enter the base again once the truck had passed.

" I think that they'll need all the help they can get. T, help them to keep these people out. And call for a medical team to meet us at the last checkpoint," Jack ordered his former team-mate as he paused for a bit to let the alien out of the truck bed. " Tell them to hurry."

Teal'c left the bed of the truck, heading to the guard's booth to call for a medical team. Once that was done, he moved over to the crowd, and helped them push back the people who were trying to get in. Though they were intimidated by the large man, they still tried to find a way in, but they were blocked at every attempt.

Arriving at the final checkpoint, Jack pulled up close enough to the elevator to let the medical team have easy access to Daniel when they got topside of the base. When they got there, both Sam and Jack were holding the archeologist down as he struggled to get away from the pain. A few objects were flying around them, amazing the team when the elevator door opened.

" Dr. Lam, I suggest that you hurry up. I really don't think that I'd appreciate it if we started flying around too," Jack said, spurring every one into action. Two orderlies jumped into Jack and Sam's place holding Daniel down as the stretcher was carefully eased under him.

Daniel felt something under him. Unsure about what it was, he bolted upright into a sitting position, giving every one a sudden scare. He found Sam's arms around him as he fought to control his breathing. " What happened?" he managed to say in between gasps of air.

" You passed out, Daniel, and made a mess of my entry way," Sam said, gripping a bit more tightly. " What did the community say to you?"

" They wanted to call and say sorry, instead of coming down and apologizing face to face. I told them where to shove it, but in a more polite way. I hung up and discovered I had a major headache," Daniel whispered. " That's the last thing I remember."

After being asked if he could walk on his own, Daniel managed to get to his feet with a little help from Sam and Jack. He was a little wobbly, but he managed to stay on his limbs. Slowly, they all made their way to the infirmary, where Daniel was checked out to see if there was indeed anything wrong with him, suffering for two hours of poking and prodding. When the examination was done with, he exited the curtained off area and found Sam sitting on an available bed, looking as if she'd just fought with ten men, and lost miserably. He was about to ask what was wrong when she answered him before he could ask a thing.

" I just got a call from Mark. He says he's sorry for putting me down last time and wants to make it up," she said, shaking her head. " How do you accept an apology from a family member when they've hurt you so bad and then have ignored you for five months?"

" I really don't know how to do that, Sam. I just bear with it. I have no living family member, except for Nick, but he's not here anymore. But now I have you," Daniel said, hugging his wife as she cried.

" I want to go and beat the hell out of him," she told Daniel while wiping her eyes to get rid of the tears.

" I'll help you. He made my wife cry last time for no reason, and I think that he deserves to be spoken to. Not to say that I'm familiar in this area of expertise, it's just that that's what I would like to do," Daniel said gently, rubbing her shoulders. " Come on, I got the all clear to get out of here."

They drove to Mark's place, taking Sam's car seeing as they had taken Daniel's to come and go from the base. They left her car there incase of a family emergency and weren't able to take Daniel's if it was broke. Within a couple of hours, they pulled into Mark's drive way. They waited for a minute after knocking on the door before it was answered by a young girl.

" Hello, Aunt Sam. Who's this?" she said.

" Katie, this is my husband, Daniel," Sam answered the girl's question. " Where's your father? I need to speak to him about something very important."

" He's in the study, working on a problem," Katie said and led them to the study, promptly leaving to go play outside with her brother.

" Hello, Mark," Sam said in a stone cold voice, knowing that she would startle her brother with that tone of voice. She continued speaking without giving him the chance to say a thing. " I hope that you had you fill five months ago. I hoped that you would have understood, but you can't even say sorry to my face. You only had the guts to call me so that I could hang up in your face."

" Sammie, I'm so sorry," Mark started to say something before he noticed her condition. " When did that happen to you? I'll mince them to shredded meat if they raped you."

" That's nice to say to some one who made you an uncle," Daniel spoke up, eyes burning in anger.

" You? You married my sister? That abomination who opened the Stargate and endangered my little sister? I ought to," Mark trailed off, when he saw a plastic letter opener fly up from its place on the table, its end pointed straight at him.

" I really don't think that you would like to try that. I've got a habit to come back and bite things in the ass when things go wrong," Daniel warned, slowly putting the letter opener back on the table. He ignored the stunned look on his brother-in-law's face. " You know Sam, I think that he really doesn't care for your well being, or for your feelings any more. I hope that you call us back. I seriously want you to pay for this discomfort." He said to Mark before opening the door and ushering Sam through before closing the door in the other man's face.

Jamming the key in the ignition, Daniel sighed and drove off, away from the place that had almost cost him to lose control of his anger. He thought, ironically, that he could be the best serial murderer, but he quickly squashed that thought from his mind. He wanted to live a life with no interruptions, like it had been five years ago, before he had been shot at his own marriage ceremony.

Gazing sadly out from behind a curtain, Mark watched as his sister drove away with her husband. How could he have been so blind? If Sam was part of a government project that had to be kept secret, he knew that she would have kept it. Why did he have to blow up at her across the phone five months ago? She was only doing her job, and now there was a probability that she would never talk to him again. Daniel, he now knew, could kill him without much of a thought, or leave a clue; no one would know that it would have been him. Letting the curtain fall back to its original place, Mark turned away from the rest of his family. He was truly sorry for everything he had said to Sam. But now there was no way that he could apologize to her. Hearing the cries of his children, Mark hid the tears that threatened to fall and pasted on a smile when the back door opened.

_There's that chapter. One more until this story is completed. Please remember to read and review. I want to know what you think of it, and if I should do a sequel._

_Thank you to those who read my story and reviewed!_


	10. epilogue

What Hurts the Most

Chapter 10: epilogue

Daniel learned fairly quickly over the very long twelve weeks on how to control his emotions to prevent Sam or his unborn child from getting hurt because of him. He sat in the family room, listening to the news as a bunch of protesters complained about rising gas prices in many select areas. Sam was in their bedroom, getting her bag ready for the hospital when the time came to go. The door bell rang, echoing through the house. Answering the door, Daniel smiled at who stood there.

" Hey Cassie. How are you?" he asked.

" I'm great, thank you," the young woman standing there answered. " How are you?"

" Very good now. Sam's in the bedroom, getting her bag ready for when she has to go to the hospital," Daniel said, moving as to close the door. He hid his surprise well when Cassie hugged him suddenly. " I know that you missed me after I was killed again, but come in at least before the hug-fest starts."

When Sam saw him struggling to close the door with Cassie hugging him tightly, she just had to smile and called to the young woman. " Hey Cass. No hi for me?" she asked, faking a pout.

" Sam!" Cassie let go of Daniel so he could finally close the door and went to Sam's side, gently patting the bulge of her stomach. " What is it?"

" It's a boy, Cass," Sam said.

" As long as he doesn't stick his nose in books like Daniel does all the time or works on little gadgets like you do, I'll be okay with that," Cassie smiled. " You really work too much, both of you. I know that you never stopped the all-nighters Sam. Then again, neither did Daniel when he was un-ascended for the second time. Probably will be the same again now anyways."

" Are you trying to tell us something, Cassie?" Daniel wanted to know. He was grinning despite his serious tone of voice.

" Not me. Why would you think of a silly little thing like that for, Daniel?" Cassie answered, not hiding a grin very well. She laughed out loud, causing both Daniel and Sam to giggle along with her until Sam gasped in pain.

" Oh my God, my water. It just broke," she exclaimed, grabbing her swollen middle.

" Damn it. Cass, her bag is still on the bed. Can you get it for us, please?" Daniel asked as he helped Sam out the door and to the car, opening the door for her. He settled her in the passenger seat and buckled her in as Cassie came running from the front door, pausing only to lock it before continuing her jog to the car.

" Got it," she almost panted, throwing the bag in the back seat with her as Daniel closed the passenger door and got in the driver's side.

" Okay. Good. Uh, do me a favor. Call Jack on his cell phone. He'll get the message to every one. His number's the first on mine," Daniel passed her his cell as he buckled up and started the car.

Cassie hit the speed dial button on the phone as Daniel rolled the car out of the drive way. " Jack? It's me, Cassie. Daniel told me to call you to let you know that Sam's water just broke," she said.

" Thanks Cassie. I'll make the rounds and let the betting begin. I hope I win this round. Tell them to hang on and that I'll be there as soon as my money's been placed," Jack told her.

" Bye, Jack," Cassie said and hung up, passing the phone back to Daniel. " He's going to place his bet and tell all the people he can get to. He also says that he'll be down as soon as he can."

" Great, now there's another round. I hope that he loses this one so he won't start this whole crazy thing up again," Sam gritted out from between her tightly clenched teeth as a contraction started. She did her best not to cry out loud, half listening to Daniel as he spoke to her.

" Deep breaths, Sam. Take some big deep breaths. That's it. That's good," He told her. " We're almost at the hospital now. Cassie, will you park the car some where nearby? I'm going to have to go in and fill them in on her allergies and other things of the sort."

" Don't worry. I'll have it parked close by," Cassie answered.

Once they were at the hospital, Daniel hurried out and grabbed a wheel chair and eased Sam, into it. He rushed inside the building while Cassie pulled the car into gear and drove to the closest parking spot she could find. Turning the engine off, the woman pocketed the keys and locked the doors, checking just to be sure. Just as she was about to enter and find both Daniel and Sam, she heard squealing tires behind her. Whirling around, she watched as Jack and Teal'c got out of the military hummer that had just pulled up.

" Jack. Teal'c. Good to see you. I was just going in to find out where Sam and Daniel were," Cassie said.

" Good. Let's go, shall we?" Jack said and led the way into the hospital, only stopping at the nurse's station to ask for directions as to where to find Daniel and Sam. Once receiving an answer, he continued to lead the small procession to the room where screams of pain and cursing could be heard. " Yup, that's Sam for ya." He quipped and entered the birthing room.

Sam was cursing up a blue storm that would make any one turn away with a red face. Daniel sat on an uncomfortable chair bedside, his hand in hers.

" I'm sorry for teaching you those curses in other languages," he was saying.

" Danny, you taught our sweet innocent little Sam how to curse in some obscene ancient dialogue? How could you?" Jack asked, his face an appalled mask.

" Sir, if I wasn't in this situation, I would be out of this bed and have you on the floor in two seconds flat," Sam told him before crying out again. " You'd never be able to have children again, let alone think about them." Watching as her one-time commander's face twisted in some horrible rendition of what she just said as he imagined it, she gripped Daniel's hand even tighter, causing him to curse.

" Kuso," (fuck) he said out loud in Japanese.

" Daniel, you'd better watch your language. When this child comes out, there will be no swearing around him," Sam told her husband.

" Before our child comes out, I won't have a hand any more," Daniel retorted, blue eyes watching in amusement. " You have a hell of a grip there, you know."

Realizing that he was only kidding with her, Sam grinned. She cried out, and the nurse came in, ushering Jack, Teal'c and Cassie out of the room.

" Come on. Let the lady rest in peace," The nurse told them.

" She ain't really resting with all of this pain and screaming going around here," Jack responded.

Smiling, the nurse walked away. " You'll just have to wait in the waiting room," she said.

" This is a strange custom of the Tau'ri. On Chulak, the men of the women who were to give birth were not allowed to be present during the time of the birth. They would find out what gender their child was after the woman gave permission to the man to come in and see the child after the birthing was done," Teal'c said, his face always an impassive mask.

" You didn't know that when you would have Ry'ac that he would be a man?" Cassie asked.

" Indeed. It was part of the laws of Chulak when Apophis was in control of the planet. It is for the best that the law has changed," Teal'c answered the woman, who herself was an alien adopted to this world.

They waited for a very long time. When a nurse came out of Sam's room, the trio jumped up, eager for the news.

" Samantha has had a beautiful baby boy. They've both requested that you all be there to see him for a while before we put him in the nursery," the nurse said to them, moving aside as they almost surged over to the room.

Entering the room, they smiled at the sight of Daniel holding his son, talking softly to the child. Despite the slightly clouded eyes, they could tell that the baby would have eyes much lighter than his father's when he got older. They noticed Sam's haggard look, but the joy in her face lit up her eyes in a way that they had never seen before that moment.

" He's a born natural," Sam whispered to her friends when she noticed them standing in the door way. " We've got it all figured out too, especially for you, Uncle Jack."

Seeing the stunned expression on the General's face, Daniel grinned as he passed his little boy to his best friend. " Say hi to Uncle Jack, Nick."

Holding the bundle gently in his arms, Jack smiled when Nick opened his eyes and yawned, snuggling deeper into the blankets. " He's beautiful," Jack husked. " Called him Nick for your grandfather?"

" Yup. We decided that he deserved a bit of respect seeing as he's still with that Aztec alien guy," Sam answered before yawning herself. " We thought that he would like to know that there's a child from his lineage who bears his name while he's off world for who knows how long."

" That's a good idea," Cassie said, accepting the child when Jack handed him to her. She smiled softly and calmed him down before he could cry. She hummed a song to him, keeping one ear on the conversation that was being held between the four former teammates.

" I wonder how we're going to handle this now. I mean, Sam and Daniel just had a kid, and I'm sure that the President and the joint chiefs won't let one or the other continue going off world on missions," Jack said.

" Indeed. I believe that we must speak with them before a decision is reached," Teal'c replied.

" Sounds good. We'll talk to them after Sam's let out of the hospital," Daniel said, watching his sleeping wife.

Ex-senator Kinsey closed his eyes in defeat. He knew when his run was over, and this time he knew it was over for good. Today was when he would face trial for his traitorous turn against the country and had Dr. Daniel Jackson killed all those years ago, on his wedding day no less. People thought that he was a piece of scum, sinking as low as the drug cartel of the world. But surprisingly enough, he agreed with them. He had disgraced God, using means which he thought would help the world, including resorting to blackmail and murder.

" Dear God, forgive me for I have sinned grievously against your will," Kinsey whispered, praying for his soul. " Crimes that I thought would help your world and your children. My belief was wrong, and I thought that by doing this would have been much better than continuing through the Stargate." His body shuddered, and a few tears leaked down from his eyes. " My life is forfeit to your will."

A guard outside of his cell came up to the door. " Come on Kinsey. It's time," he said, taking his keys and opening the door, allowing Kinsey to get out of the cell. He escorted the condemned prisoner down to the courtroom, where the trial of his life would commence in just a few short minutes.

_Well, that's it folks. This story is done. Use your own imagination to figure out what Kinsey's punishment should be. Let your imagination run wild with you. Please check out my other upcoming stories that I will post ASAP. They are Inuyasha: Sweet dreams and a happy life, Dukes of Hazzard/Smallville that has no title, Stargate/Highlander also with no title and many others._


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